The first photos of possible tornado damage are coming in from Sulphur, Louisiana. Monday’s storm destroyed a gas station then damaged a Walmart and a Burger King.
LAKE CHARLES, La. – A possible tornado tore a path across the Lake Charles area in southwest Louisiana on Monday.
According to storm reports from the National Weather Service, damage was first reported by emergency officials near Sulphur, which is to the west of Lake Charles. That is where reports of significant damage near a Walmart store surfaced.
Images posted on social media show damage to the Walmart store’s sign, as well as a gas station in the store’s parking lot. Shopping carts appeared to have been strewn across the parking lot.
Damaged and overturned cars were seen in the parking lot of a strip mall across the street from the Walmart.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: TORNADO TAKES OUT PART OF LOUISIANA BAR MOMENTS AFTER PATRONS RUN FOR COVER
-
Damage from a possible tornado is seen in Sulphur, Louisiana, on May 13, 2024. (Lynn Brossette/Facebook)
-
Damage from a possible tornado is seen in Sulphur, Louisiana, on May 13, 2024. (Lynn Brossette/Facebook)
-
Damage from a possible tornado is seen in Sulphur, Louisiana, on May 13, 2024. (Lynn Brossette/Facebook)
-
Damage from a possible tornado is seen in Sulphur, Louisiana, on May 13, 2024. (Lynn Brossette/Facebook)
-
Damage from a possible tornado is seen in Sulphur, Louisiana, on May 13, 2024. (Lynn Brossette/Facebook)
-
Damage from a possible tornado is seen in Sulphur, Louisiana, on May 13, 2024. (Lynn Brossette/Facebook)
The storm is also being blamed for damage to windows and roofs of businesses and a church in the Westlake neighborhood.
Lake Charles police said crews also responded to an overturned tractor-trailer that was blocking traffic on an Interstate 10 bridge.
Tornado hit my townhouse complex in Lake Charles off Nelson Rd. potential tornado
(Mabron Esclovon / FOX Weather)
The National Weather Service will likely send a team to survey the damage and determine if it was indeed caused by a tornado.
This was just one of several damaging storms that created chaos along the Gulf Coast on Monday. The dangerous storms are expected to arrive in Florida and Georgia by Tuesday morning.
If Lake Charles sounds familiar, it might be because the town was hit by an EF-2 tornado about a month ago.