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Family reacts to tornado Monday morning in St. Landry Parish
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WASHINGTON, La. (KLFY) -- In Washington, families are in recovery after a devastating tornado hit the area this morning.
Officials with the National Weather Service said it was an EF-2 tornado that hit the area. The area saw extensive damage from the 111 mph to 135 mph winds.
Officials said the tornado was spotted in the area of Washington, La., causing widespread damage there. At least one home had its roof sheared off, causing all belongings in the home to be destroyed.
Barbara Thibodeaux, a Washington resident, says the tornado tore through their guest house where her daughter lived through college and where Thibodeaux kept important pieces like her parents' vanity that's been with her since she was a kid.
"By the time we got from the hallway to the bathroom to hide, it had already passed and tore everything up. It was that fast," she said.
On top of the damage to their guest house, the Thibodeauxs are also dealing with a lot of metal and debris in their front yard, which turns out isn't even from their property. If we pan over across the street, their neighbors have several sheds and metal buildings that were destroyed, leaving debris all up and down the street.
Steven Thibodeaux remembers the phone call from his neighbor.
"He called me, at like four or something in the morning, and he said, 'Man, I'm in my kitchen and it's pouring down rain in my house.' And he said, 'I can see the sky through my ceiling,'" Steven said.
As the Thibodeauxs and their neighbors work to clean their properties, Steven says he's shocked at how quickly the destruction was caused.
"Not even a minute and a half by the time we got in that room and been over, we had already, it was that fast. I mean, it was done open alert, saying, you know, all this was already gone. You know, by the time we even could think about it," said Steven.
And although buildings and houses were destroyed, the Thibodeauxs thank God for their safety.