No injuries reported during wind and rain event
Nathan Wilson | Reporter
Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to storm damage caused by high winds and falling trees, March 30.
Falling trees and branches blocked roadways across Natchitoches Parish and damaged multiple residences.
A family became trapped in their home after a tree fell across the roof and blocked the entrance, above. Homeowner Katie Stewart reported finding her great granddaughter still asleep and surrounded by tree limbs that had penetrated the home. Eight members of Stewart’s family were in the home during the incident, including her husband, daughter and five grandchildren. Natchitoches Times reached out to the family to confirm that all members of the household are safe, and Stewart’s granddaughter reported she is not aware of any unmet needs her family faces.
Other buildings damaged across the parish include the rectory of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Powhatan, where a fallen tree caused significant damage, and a historic home on Weaver Cemetery Road near Chestnut, where much of the roof was blown away by high winds.
NPSO reports trees blocked roads and damaged power lines in Bellwood and Franklin Lane south of Natchitoches. Fallen trees also blocked La Highway 9 near Readhimer, La Highway 479 near Chestnut, La Highway 484 south of Melrose and La Hwy 487 near Rock’s Creek Bridge.
SWEPCO reports they are continuing to restore service to more nearly 20,000 customers who lost power across northern Louisiana and parts of Arkansas. More than 10,000 SWEPCO customers in Louisiana lost power during the storm which struck Natchitoches around midday. Cleco reported 441 customer outages in Natchitoches Parish as of 3 p.m. March 30.
