A day after a powerful tornado packing winds up to 120 mph barreled over south Slidell, residents, business owners and government officials set themselves to the exhausting task of cleaning up, distributing supplies and waiting for power to be restored.
Officials said Thursday that more than 25,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity. And though power companies worked through the day, it was expected that several thousand homes would remain in the dark overnight. Most of the outages were in and around Slidell, which took a big hit from Wednesday's storms.
As south Slidell continued to dig out, much of St. Tammany was returning to normal. Officials said most roadways had been cleared and asked residents to haul debris to the curb as the parish formulated a pickup plan.
Students across much of St. Tammany were set to return to classrooms on Friday. However, 26 schools in Slidell and Pearl River would remain closed for another day due to damage or lack of power, the school district said.
Officials believe more than 100 structures on the east side of the parish were damaged during the storm but are working to get a more accurate assessment of the destruction.
That was what Manuel Guerra, a building inspector with the city of Slidell, found himself doing Thursday morning outside the Nu'Me salon on Pontchartrain Boulevard.
“It’s obvious,” he said. “The damage is severe.”
Indeed, the salon's windows had been blown out and insulation was leaking out of holes in the roof and walls. There was no way the building would be useable anytime soon.
“It’s a lot. It’s almost overwhelming,” Guerra said. “It’s the worst since Katrina.”
In the parking lot next door, Johnny Johnson, 34, was looking over the damage to his boat, which he’d brought to Scotty’s Performance & Marine, a repair shop behind the hair salon. He’d hoped to get it fixed up so he could celebrate his birthday aboard it next month.
Volunteers and staff of Scotty's Performance Boat & Marine attempt to salvage boats that fell off their trailers and were then pushed into a pile by strong winds during a tornado that hit Slidell the day before. Parts of Slidell started picking up the pieces and cleaning up on Thursday, April 11, 2024. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
“I was bringing it in to get serviced and make sure it was ready to get in the water,” Johnson said.
Instead he got a call Wednesday from the business owner. “He told me he had some bad news,” Johnson said of the boat, which had been knocked off its trailer by the winds and was sitting overturned in the parking lot.
The National Weather Service has classified the tornado as an EF-2 packing winds of 120 mph. It first touched down near Eden Isles around 10:03 a.m. and left a 9-mile path of destruction before dissipating at 10:12 a.m. near Interstate 10 at the Mississippi-Louisiana line.
Khalil Jamhour, who owns the Shell gas station near Pontchartrain Boulevard and Kolmayer Street, has one of the few businesses in that area without major damage.
Photos: Picking up the pieces and assessing the damage the day after a tornado hits Slidell
“It’s amazing,” Jamhour said. “God is good. The only thing keeping us closed is the (lack of) power.”
But others weren't so fortunate.
“Part of this roof came off,” said Jamie Gomez, the owner of JG Land & Marine, a welding shop two doors down from the Shell station. “It was raining in this office.”
The tornado blew the sheet metal roofing across the boulevard and wrapped it around telephone poles about 100 yards away.
Gomez expects to have to essentially gut and renovate the entire building.
Just blocks away, residents who had endured harrowing experiences during the storm relied on friends and neighbors for assistance. Max Gonzalez said his mother, Lillan Bray, who lives on Elizabeth Street, will have to go live with his sister for a few days while they wait for power to be restored.
Harahan firefighter Jake Razzio, left, went to Slidell to help clear debris on Thursday, April 11, 2024, the day after a tornado hit the area. Razzio directs Kevin Vino, right, as he attempts to flip over a 25-foot boat at Scotty's Performance Boat & Marine that fell off its trailer during the storm. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Bray had called Gonzalez as the sky darkened on Wednesday from the bathroom of her home, where she’d taken shelter.
“She said a tornado was coming, and she said ‘If this is how I go, I just want you to know I love you,’” Gonzalez said. “She’s just thankful for her life and that God protected her.”
Bray and Gonzalez were far from alone in needing a little extra help. In Fritchie Park, city workers and volunteers from local churches handed out cases of bottled water, plates of red beans and tarps to people who waited in a line of cars that snaked out of the parking lot and down the street.
Michael Bray, right, of Slidell, walks around the uprooted pine tree in his front yard on Thursday, April 11, 2024, the day after a tornado swept through the area. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
“We got a lot of water, and we have no power,” said Kristina Brugier, who lined up with her father, Arthur, to pick up water and tarps.
The resources provided by local government and volunteers, Brugier said, will be enormously helpful in helping them get through the next few days.
