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Photos: After EF3 tornado hits New Orleans area, Arabi sees flipped cars, destroyed houses

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Katelyn Umholtz

Published March 23, 2022 at 4:50 PM CDT

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A tornado overturned school buses near Arabi Elementary School on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

A severe weather event starting in Texas reached southeast Louisiana on Tuesday, bringing with it the risk of tornadoes, hail and flooding.

On Tuesday evening, two confirmed tornadoes formed and swirled around the New Orleans area, reaching at least four parishes in the region. One of those tornadoes, which was classified by forecasters as a EF3 with 136-165 mph winds, caused significant damage in St. Bernard Parish.

The New Orleans Public Radio news team began covering the severe weather event in the hours after the tornadoes passed and into day 2 of recovery. Here's what those reporters saw.

Damage in St. Bernard Parish after a tornado hit the New Orleans area on March 22, 2022. — Most of Faith World Assembly Church crumbled after a tornado struck Arabi in St. Bernard Parish on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

Old Arabi residents walk past the remains of a local church as they leave their homes after a tornado ripped through the St. Bernard Parish neighborhood on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

The Old Arabi Marketplace -- an antique store -- was in tatters after a tornado ripped through St. Bernard Parish on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

Arabi Plaza business owners place pieces of plyboard across the entryway of Soule-2-Geaux after its glass door was punched in by a large tornado that ripped through the St. Bernard Parish neighborhood on Tuesday evening, March 22, 2022.

St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis holds a press conference late on Tuesday, offering updates on emergency response after a tornado ripped through the area on March 22, 2022.

Corky Potts searches through all the rubble on Claiborne Ct in Arabi, LA. — Corky Potts searches through all the rubble on Claiborne Court in Arabi, Louisiana, Wednesday, March 23, 2022.

Corky Potts looks through all the rubble in Arabi, LA on Wednesday morning.

A kitchen appliance is spotted in a grassy area in Arabi after a tornado hit the town and other parts of the New Orleans area on March 22, 2022.

People walk by a house that's been destroyed by a tornado in St. Bernard Parish on March 23, 2022.

On top of debris, a car is flipped over after a tornado swirled through Arabi on March 22, 2022.

Roy Carmouche on Wednesday after tornados touched down in the greater New Orleans area.

David Pagan surveys the damage left to his church, La Vid Verdadera, in Arabi, Louisiana after an EF3 tornado ripped through area. — David Pagan, pastor of La Vid Verdadera church in Arabi, Louisiana, looks over the damage left to his church building at the corner of Friscoville and St. Claude avenues, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The night before, an EF3 tornado ripped through the area, leaving one person dead, multiple people injured and hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed. Pagan's wife, Leda, said she and her husband plan to rebuild and come back stronger.

David Pagan, pastor of La Vid Verdadera church in Arabi, Louisiana, stands in front of what's left of his church building at the corner of Friscoville and St. Claude avenues, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The night before, an EF3 tornado ripped through the area, leaving one person dead, multiple people injured and hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed.

Arabi resident Annette Dugan with her two dogs, Gumbo and Roux on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Dugan is taking her dogs, who are registered as therapy dogs, around her neighborhood to help lift spirits after an EF3 tornado ripped through the area on Tuesday night.

Annette Dugan's house in Arabi, Louisiana was heavily damaged when an EF3 tornado ripped through her neighborhood and flung a horse trailer into it. The tornado happened four weeks after Dugan's family finished fixing the home's roof after it sustained damage from Hurricane Ida in August.

Kyle Arabie and his partner weren't in their rental home when an EF3 tornado struck Arabi, Louisiana on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. When they came back Wednesday, they saw that the entire roof had been blown off.

Kyle Arabie stands in the doorway to his rental home in Arabi, Louisiana, on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The roof of the home was ripped off Tuesday night when an EF3 tornado ripped through the area. Arabie spent Wednesday clearing the debris left behind and dismantling furniture in the home.

Arabi Residents on Friscoville Avenue try to pull a tree off their home on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The tree was knocked out of its roots when an EF3 tornado swept through the Greater New Orleans area Tuesday night.

Cathleen Anderson views the aftermath of the tornado in Arabi on Wednesday.

Theresa Goelz is reunited with her dog Sadie after she found her hiding in her office after the tornado.

Dave Dessens (left) and his partner Doug Miltz (right) sit outside their home in Arabi, Louisiana waiting for insurance adjusters to arrive, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Dessens and Miltz were in their home when an EF3 tornado swept across their street Tuesday night.

Reporters Halle Parker and Aubri Juhasz, Gulf States Newsroom reporter Shalina Chatlani and News Director Patrick Madden contributed to this gallery.

Photos: After EF3 tornado hits New Orleans area, Arabi sees flipped cars, destroyed houses

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