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SPECIAL EDITION OF
NEWS CHANNEL
FIVE AT SIX. I'M
KATHLEEN WITTE.
FIRST ON FIVE
TONIGHT -- WE'VE
BEEN TALKING
ABOUT THE THREAT
OF SEVERE
WEATHER FOR
CHRISTMAS FOR
SEVERAL DAYS, AND
AS STORMS ROLLED
ACROSS CENLA, WE
GOT IT.
NOW THERE IS
PLENTY OF
CLEANING UP TO DO
TONIGHT. DAMAGE
WE SAW OUT THERE
TODAY --
SHATTERED
WINDOWS, EITHER
FROM FLYING
DEBRIS OR HIGH
WINDS, TREES
LIMBS IN THE
STREET, POWER
LINES DOWN,
ROOFS THAT HAVE
BEEN RIPPED FROM
BUILDINGS.
WORKERS ARE ALL
OVER TOWN,
ASSESSING THE
DAMAGE AND
CLEARING THE
STREETS. THEY
SAY, TRYING TO
RESTORE ORDER
TO THE PARISH AS
QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE. I SPOKE
WITH A WOMAN
WHO SAYS SHE SAW
THE CULPRIT--THE
STORM--UP CLOSE.
"...never want to see it
again."
ALEXANDRIA MAYOR
JACQUES ROY
STOPPED BY THE
STATION TODAY TO
GIVE US AN UPDATE
ON THE CITY'S
PLANS MOVING
FORWARD.
"...tough as it is."
ANOTHER AREA IN
CENLA THAT GOT
HIT HARD FROM
TODAY'S STORM IS
TIOGA. THAT'S
WHERE WE SENT
NEWS CHANNEL
FIVE'S NOLAN
CRANE AND HE
JOINS US TO SHOW
US THE
DEVASTATION AND
WHY THE
HOMEOWNERS SAY
IT COULD HAVE
BEEN A LOT WORSE.
THAT'S RIGHT
KATHLEEN, IT MIGHT
BE CHRISTMAS BUT
MOTHER NATURE
DIDN'T SHOW HER
COMPASSION
TODAY. AS I WAS
DRIVING THROUGH
TIOGA THERE WAS A
LOT OF DEBRIS
FROM TREES THAT
COVERED THE
STREETS. TREES
WERE UPROOTED--
POWER LINES
KNOCKED DOWN--
BUT EVERYONE WE
SPOKE WITH SAY
DESPITE THE MESS
AND DAMAGE-- THEY
ARE JUST
GRATEFUL THAT
THERE HAVE BEEN
NO REPORTS OF
ANY INJURIES.
STRONG WINDS
CAME RIPPING
THROUGH TIOGA
AND BIG TREES
LANDED ON
SEVERAL HOMES.
RESIDENTS LIVING
ON RIGOLETTE
ROAD AND
SHREVEPORT
HIGHWAY GOT HIT
THE HARDEST.
STRONG WINDS
TORE OFF ROOFS
AND FALLING LIMBS
AND DOWN POWER
LINES TRAPPED ONE
RESIDENT BUT
THANKS TO
EMERGENCY
CREWS HE WAS
ABLE TO GET OUT
UNHARMED. THE
RESIDENTS WE
SPOKE WITH SAY
ALL OF THIS
DAMAGE OCCURRED
IN JUST A FEW
SECONDS.
"It sounded like a train
coming through. We
have a track that runs
right by the house. I
hear that all the time,
didn't think much of it.
Was going back in,
turned around and
there's a tornado,"
says REBECCA
CHILDERS. "My wife
and I had just returned
from a little outing,
drove up under the
carport where the wind
really hit the house and
we stayed in the
vehicle an
d I looked up
out the front windshield
of the vehicle and saw
the roof fly off the
house and felt the
vehicle go on two
wheels and then sat
back down on the
ground and just a few
seconds it was over
with," says LOU
GORDON. "It's just
extensive damage. So
far I've seen well over
probably 2 dozen
homes that's damaged
and roof tops off
homes and it's just
something that you see
on TV but right here at
home it's just tough,"
says DAVRON
MOREAU.
HOMEOWNERS WE
SPOKE WITH SAY
THEY ARE
GRATEFUL THAT NO
ONE WAS INJURED.
BUT AS FAR AS
THEIR ROOFS--
THEY WILL NEED TO
BE REPAIRED AND
TODAY BEING
CHRISTMAS A LOT
OF HARDWARE
STORES ARE
CLOSED AND THEY
WOULD LIKE
PEOPLE WITH
TARPS THAY ARE
NOT USING TO
DONATE THEM.
IF YOU HAVE A TARP
AVAILABLE FOR
SOME ONE TO USE,
YOU CAN BRING IT
TO THE RAPIDES
PARISH SHERIFF'S
OFFICE TIOGA
SUBSTATION.
KATHLEEN.
ALSO A LOT OF YOU
HAVE BEEN
SENDING IN
PICTURES OF
DAMAGE THAT
YOU'VE SEEN
THROUGHOUT THE
AREA...
HERE ARE A FEW OF
THE PICTURES OF
THE DAMAGE
AROUND
ALEXANDRIA...
THESE WERE TAKEN
ALONG TH
E GARDEN
DISTRICT AND
MADONNA DRIVE...
AS YOU CAN SEE A
LOT OF TREES
DOWN AS WELL AS
DEBRIS FROM
ROOFS ...SOME OF
THE TREES EVEN
DOWN ON HOUSES...
REMEMBER WITH
FALLEN TREES TO
BE AWARE OF ANY
POWER LINES THAT
MAY BE
DOWN....WHEN
TAKING THESE
PICTURES THAT
YOU SEND IN BE
SURE NOT TO BE IN
ANY DANGER OF
LIMBS OR POWER
LINES... WE THANK
THE VIEWERS WHO
SENT THESE IN.
YOU CAN POST
YOUR PICTURES OF
ANY STORM
DAMAGE TO OUR
"SEE IT, SHOOT IT,
SEND IT" FEATURE
ON OUR WEBSITE
AT KALB-DOT-COM.
YOU CAN ALSO E-
MAIL THEM TO US AT
"NEWS AT KALB-
DOT-COM."
WE HAVE SOME
NUMBERS IN FROM
CLECO ON POWER
OUTAGES AROUND
CENTRAL
LOUISIANA.
AT THE PEAK,
RAPIDES WAS
EXPERIENCING
ABOUT 6300
OUTAGES. AS OF 5 O
CLOCK WE'RE
DOWN TO 3500.
THAT'S COMPARED
TO ABOUT 9000 AT
THE PEAK
STATEWIDE--BUT
THAT NUMBER IS
DOWN TO 5300.
RAPIDES WAS THE
HARDEST HIT FOR
POWER OUTAGES,
FOLLOWED BY
BEAUREGARD AND
IBERIA WITH
AROUND 1000
OUTAGES EACH.
GRANT PARISH HAS
ABOUT 280
CUSTOMERS
WITHOUT POWER.
VERNON PARISH
HAS 64 OUTAGES,
AND IN AVOYELL
ES
PARISH, 32
CUSTOMERS ARE
WITHOUT POWER
TONIGHT. NOW,
WE'RE TOLD SOME
OUTAGES IN THE
PARADISE, BALL,
AND ROW-GULLEY
AREAS MAY LAST
THROUGH THE
NIGHT AND INTO
TOMORROW, AS
CLECO SAYS
DAMAGE IN THOSE
AREAS IS
EXTENSIVE. REPAIR
CREWS WILL BE
WORKING AROUND
THE CLOCK TO GET
ELECTRIC SERVICE
RESTORED TO THE
AFFECTED AREAS.
THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US FOR
THIS SPECIAL
EDITION OF NEWS
CHANNEL 5. WE
WILL BE BACK
TONIGHT FOR
NIGHTSIDE AT TEN.
THE SPIRIT OF THE
SEASON CONTINUES
NEXT ON NEWS
CHANNEL 5. WE
WISH YOU A MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US FOR
THIS SPECIAL
EDITION OF NEWS
CHANNEL 5. WE
WILL BE BACK
TONIGHT FOR
NIGHTSIDE AT TEN.
THE SPIRIT OF THE
SEASON CONTINUES
NEXT ON NEWS
CHANNEL 5. WE
WISH YOU A MERRY
CHRISTMAS!