The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with heavy rain and wind on Thursday, damaging buildings, downing trees and knocking out power as flash flood and tornado warnings were issued along the Gulf Coast.
The Midwest, meanwhile, was also dealing with damage after a strong line of storms tore through parts of Illinois, Indiana and northern Kentucky on Wednesday, bringing possible tornadoes and leaving scores of homes without electricity.
Arthur, the first tropical storm of the season in the Atlantic basin, was downgraded to a low pressure area along the upper Texas coast Wednesday night. It will continue to weaken as it moves inland into parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, while still dumping heavy rain, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The National Weather Service said rain was falling on southern Louisiana and Mississippi at a rate of 3 inches (8 centimeters) per hour in some places Thursday. TV reports and social media posts showed flooded streets in many areas. Several tornado warnings were posted Thursday morning for southern Louisiana and Mississippi. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power.
Arthur’s remnants were expected to bring 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) or more of rain to the Gulf states over the course of Thursday and Friday, the weather service said. Parts of Texas saw flash flooding on Wednesday. The region also was hit with heavy rain earlier in the week.
“The main threat from Arthur is going to be a prolonged, multiday, heavy rainfall event that could produce dangerous to life-threatening flash flooding,” National Hurricane Center director Michael Brennan said.
The storm on Thursday left a trail of downed trees, flooded roadways and building damage, as well as several tornado sightings, most heavily concentrated in southeastern Louisiana.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno posted a video on Facebook describing her community’s relatively minor damage and the city’s efforts to clean up. Ahead of the storm, police prepared boats and set up barricades in known flood areas while collection points for residents to fill sandbags sprung up around Louisiana.
In the Midwest, there were numerous reports of damage from tornadoes and strong winds, but no immediate reports of deaths or life-threatening injuries. More than 130,000 homes and businesses were without power Thursday afternoon in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, according to poweroutage.us.
A tornado was reported near Effingham, Illinois, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Springfield, shortly Wednesday evening. Several people suffered minor injuries, officials said.
“A tornado caused significant damage in areas north of the City of Effingham, impacting homes, roadways, utilities, and other property throughout portions of Effingham County,” Effingham Fire Chief Brant Yochum said in a statement.
Yochum said firefighters responded to damaged homes, collapsed structures, car crashes, downed power lines, gas leaks and blocked roads.
An automobile museum and auto parts complex in Effingham reported on Facebook that it sustained “catastrophic” damage, but that no one was injured.
About 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Effingham in Blue Mound, Marla Washburn and her husband, Todd, hunkered down in their basement as a suspected tornado tore through their neighborhood. They could hear debris smacking into their house, which sustained damage to the roof, windows and front door frame while parts of trees in their yard were sheered off.
“The whole house shook,” she told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “The roof from the school across the street from us blew off and slammed into our house. And now it’s littered all across my backyard.”
She said the scene in the neighborhood was like Armageddon.
“You don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but we’re OK,” she said. “There’s just stuff everywhere. And you look at it and you go, ‘I don’t even know where to start to clean up.’”
Also north of Effingham, the weather service reported that a tractor trailer flipped over in high winds on Interstate 57 north of Effingham, injuring the driver.
Damage from strong winds and a possible tornado were also reported in Florence, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, with local news video and photos showing roofs and siding ripped off buildings, as well as downed trees and power lines.
The weather service said it received numerous reports of wind damage across a wide swath, from Iowa and Missouri to Ohio and West Virginia. Tornadoes also were rep
The strong storms were expected to move through the central Appalachians to New England on Thursday, the weather service said.
