Repairing the storm damage

By Howell Dennis

CROWLEY – High winds, gusting up to 45 miles per hour, preceded a thunderstorm system which passed through Acadia Parish and Louisiana Tuesday night.

The winds caused significant damage across the parish Tuesday afternoon and evening. Several homes and businesses were damaged after being hit by falling trees and branches. Some homes suffered major damage including one in Crowley which lost its roof when an oak branch fell through.

Several areas of Acadia Parish also lost power for a significant period of time with many homes in north Crowley spending nearly an hour without electricity.

“I thought the tree in my back yard was going to fall down completely,” said Joseph Martin as he worked with his friends to clean up after a large branch fell in his back yard on Northern Ave. “I heard the cracking and thought the entire tree was coming down. Lucky for me it was just a branch otherwise my house could have been destroyed.”

The strong winds brought back memories of the infamous hurricane season of 2005. Several homes were damaged and destroyed when strong winds swept through Acadia Parish during Hurricane Rita. While the damage was nothing like the widespread carnage of Rita, some residents said that was the last time they experienced winds as high as Tuesday.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see winds that high unless it was hurricane season,” said Martin.