South Louisiana Residents Describe Tornado

South Louisiana residents woke up early this morning to a scene of chaos and destruction after what many believed was a tornado that ripped through the area overnight. Social media lit up with posts from locals sharing videos, photos and personal stories of the intense weather event that left a trail of damage.

Youngsville resident Amy Breaux posted a chilling video from her home near Savoy Road around 3 a.m. on Sunday (6/2). The video captures the unmistakable sounds of what she believed was a tornado.

Similarly, Ginger Barras shared images of downed power lines as she drove into Delcambre, illustrating the storm’s widespread impact.

Ronnie Stelly says he’s been through “at least 15 hurricanes” and this was “the scariest thing” he’s ever experienced when it comes to bad weather.

Stelly shared a photo of what could have been the suspected tornado, which doesn’t look small at all.

Feran Bagley says her uncle’s home on Guillot Road in Youngsville “disappeared” after the apparent tornado. Fortunately, as soon as her uncle heard the noise, he was able to take shelter under an excavator.

Chelsi Poirrier, also of Youngsville, admitted she and her family slept through the chaos. “My whole family slept through what was happening out there,” she wrote, highlighting the sudden and unexpected event.

There were widespread reports of power lines and trees falling. Jessica Landry Lemaire reported significant damage on Jefferson Island off Lake Peigneur Road in New Iberia. Meanwhile, Jennifer Landry from Erath described the experience as “scary”.

In New Iberia, Shannon Hayes Guzman woke up to the heavy weather. “The weather woke me up! Scary sounding! All okay here. No phone weather warnings whatsoever. Must have come quickly! Prayers for the Coteau/Youngsville/Maurice areas,” she shared, echoing the sentiments of many who were caught off guard.

JoAnn Baudoin talked about her harrowing experience around 2:30 am. “The wind, the rain and the flashes of lightning outside my window! The lights went out again for an hour! But we didn’t need them because the sky was lit up by the flashes of lightning! I’ve never seen anything like that before!” she exclaimed.

South of Youngsville, Kaitlynn A. Lovelady reported hail the size of neighborhoods and downed oak trees. Despite the damage, she noted, “Surprisingly, we have power.”

Delcambre saw significant outages, with Tricia Reed attributing the loss of power to a tornado. Similarly, Ashley Phillips confirmed that a tornado hit the area, causing significant damage to homes.

In Maurice, Rebecca Fulcher Miller reported, “Our neighbor has a tree in his house.” Courtney Lane in south Youngsville confirmed: “Definitely a tornado at Guillot. Lots of trees down and damage.”

Residents across the region shared similar stories of destruction. The stories were many and moving, from broken poles south of Youngsville to violent storms in New Iberia. “It sounded like a train,” Krystal Meyers Muller described the storm in Youngsville/Maurice.

Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter was relieved the situation wasn’t worse. “While we have seen poles and trees fall in a few areas south of the city and a house under construction has collapsed, we are not aware of any other structural damage. Our priority now is to ensure that the neighborhoods that are still without power receive service. as soon as possible,” he said.

Youngsville Councilwoman and Firefighter Lindy Bolgiano reminded residents to stay prepared. “The weather has been brutal and we want to remind everyone to have a plan in case the power goes out. We know utilities are doing their best to minimize downtime and restore service as quickly as possible. Stay safe and prepared,” said Bolgiano. advised.

As South Louisiana begins cleanup and assessment of the damage, we will continue to provide necessary updates and resources.