Louisiana twister carved destruction in mere moments

By GERALD HERBERT and REBECCA SANTANA
Associated Press

ARABI, La. (AP) — Residents of a south Louisiana community say a powerful tornado splintered their homes in mere seconds as it carved a swath of destruction through their neighborhood. One resident of the Arabi community outside New Orleans said Wednesday that it was over in the time it took him to say “four Hail Marys.”  He lost half his roof to the Tuesday night storm. And there was nothing left of a nearby house where his 25-year-old neighbor was killed. Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and called the damage “devastating.” The same storm system spawned tornadoes in Texas, where one woman died, and dropped torrential rain while shredding buildings in Alabama.