The National Weather Service (NWS) in Lake Charles reported an EF-3 tornado struck the Church Point area Sunday, May 17, killing one person. It also struck the Oberlin and Oakdale area as an EF-1 where no injuries were reported.
At approximately 8:43 p.m., the tornado was documented in parts of Acadia and St. Landry Parishes. It began near “Gobert Road and Pitreville Hwy, and crossed Grand Marais Road, Prudence Hwy, St. Margaret Road, Lawtell Hwy, and N Beaugh St,” according to the NWS report.
“ One home was picked up off its pilings and thrown 50 yards to its south, destroying the home. Three people were inside. One person was killed, and the other two people are hospitalized with significant injuries. Nearby, four mobile homes were destroyed. Two were flipped in the air and separated from the frame. Another one rolled over on top of an SUV, and the fourth was pulled off its blocks and had significant structural damage. Two grain dryers were destroyed at a farm, and an 18 wheeler used to transport crops was picked up and flipped onto the road. The tornado ended on the city limits of Church Point where a large tree fell on a home.”
Estimated wind peak was 150 miles per hour.
Earlier in the evening, an EF-1 with estimated winds of 100 miles per hour was seen near Oberlin and Oakdale at approximately 5:41 p.m.
The NWS reported, “A small tornado touched down near US Hwy 165, a little south of the airport. It moved along parts of Ward Road. Several trees were snapped or uprooted along the path.”
