A tornado hit New Orleans and its nearby suburbs Tuesday, destroying some homes and knocking out power.
At least one person was killed in Arabi, Louisiana, St. Bernard's Parish President Guy McInnis said, according to FOX 8 in New Orleans.
Local officials did not give details on how the person died.
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McInnis said several others were injured as rescuers searched for others in need of assistance. He said the tornado caused widespread damage in the parish.
"We have reports of people [who] are trapped," St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said, according to Nola.com. "We're in the area doing assessments now."
A reported 16,000 people were without power in the area Tuesday night and outage tracker PowerOutage.US showed more than 4,000 customers without power in Louisiana on Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service retweeted a video of the tornado in the eastern part of New Orleans that was visible in the darkened sky, urging residents to take shelter.
"It came fast, real fast," St. Bernard's Parish resident Glenn Rocher told NOLA. "A lot of strong wind, almost similar to the hurricane we just had."
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell tweeted late Tuesday that there were no reports of casualties or significant damage within the city and that the power utility was working to restore electricity there.
While the metropolitan region is often struck by severe weather and heavy rains, it's rare that a tornado moves through the city.
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Twitter users shared horrifying footage of the ominous tornado visible against the night sky. (Warning: language)
Ominous photos showed the aftermath of the tornado after it had ripped through parts of the St. Bernard Parish, with residents standing, surrounded by the destruction.
Many of the residents are still recovering from category 4 Hurricane Ida blew through the region last summer.
"I went to the bathroom may ten seconds tops," Richie Majors of Arabi told FOX 8. "It wasn’t very long. We come outside and it looks like Ukraine."
Pieces of a destroyed home are scattered in a yard after a tornado struck Arabi, Louisiana on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (WVUE)
The full extent of the damage or possible injuries remains unclear at this time.
The tornado was part of a line of severe weather that started in Texas and Oklahoma and moved into the Deep South.
Other tornadoes that were part of the same storm system killed a woman north of Dallas and caused additional injuries.
A overturned minivan sits atop branches and parts of houses in left in the wake of a tornado that touched down in Louisiana on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (WVUE)
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Texas Gov Greg Abbott declared a disaster for 16 counties.
Trees were toppled in the city of Elgin and schools closed in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
In Alabama's Baldwin County, an apparent twister ripped apart a metal building and torrential rain caused flash floods. More than 8 inches of rain fell in Sylacauga overnight.
Roofs were blown off houses in Arabi, Louisiana when a tornado touched down Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (WVUE)
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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