Arabi, Louisiana — It was only after dawn that the true impact of the tornado outbreak that hit New Orleans and the surrounding areas could be seen: block after block in the town of Arabi was obliterated. Amid the damage, a 25-year-old man was found dead.
Connor Lambert, who used to play football for the local high school, was killed when his home lifted off its stilts and flew over his neighbor’s house, landing on another home where he and his dog were found dead. His truck was wrapped around a tree.
Alyssa Wineski, Lambert’s neighbor, described the horror of the storms to CBS News.
“We’re a tight-knit community, we’re a tight-knit street,” Wineski said. “We’re screaming for each other, and then when we look over and see Connor’s house, all we could do was scream for him.”
She said her family barely made it to safety. She survived on the floor of their bathroom as her husband threw himself on top of her and their young son.
“I honestly didn’t think I was going to live through this one. The sensation, the wind, the sound,” Wineski said. “I thought we were going to die.”
On Wednesday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards surveyed the damage on their street and offered comfort. New Orleans and the surrounding areas are now under a state of emergency.
The scope of the damage is shocking.
Gabriela Rivarde stood outside what was left of her home on Wednesday. Her house was shoved into her neighbor’s home.
“And the neighbor’s house, I believe, is shoved into the other neighbor’s house,” she told CBS News.
