Woman pinned to sofa as tornado tears through town

AVONDALE, La. (WVUE/Gray News) - A tornado tore through part of Avondale, injuring two people and leaving one woman pinned to her sofa after debris from her trailer collapsed on top of her.

The tornado was reported around 5 a.m. Thursday, with most of the damage along a portion of George Street. Residents said trailers were lifted into the air and thrown into backyards.

The National Weather Service confirmed the damage was caused by an EF-1 tornado.

Keisha Hills said her sister was living in a trailer behind her house when the storm hit. Hills said she was on the phone with her sister as they tried to make last-minute preparations.

“I mean, seconds later, she called back screaming that things are falling on her,” Hills said. “So, by the time we got out, she was actually pinned on her sofa. The debris from the roof fell on her.”

Hills said her sister was taken by ambulance to a hospital and was expected to be discharged soon. She said her sister will return home on crutches.

A man who lived in a nearby trailer was also taken to a hospital by ambulance and was reported to be fine.

Trailer split in half

Neighbors said one trailer went into the air, hit another trailer, and ended up in a backyard. The wheels of the trailer could be seen in the distance after the storm passed.

Hills said the trailer where her sister lived was split in half. She said the trailer was on a concrete foundation with bricks around it, but the bricks were blown out.

“We were trying to just make last-minute preparations to get into the tub or get into the bathroom or something, and she was on her sofa as we were speaking,” Hills said. “And I guess it happened so fast, she got pinned to her sofa.”

Hills said she did not hear the sound often associated with tornadoes.

“I didn’t hear anything,” she said. “No, you know, like they tell you the sounds of maybe a freight train or something. I didn’t hear anything. We just heard maybe the roof crackling on our home. That was it.”

Hills said the wind picked up again as emergency responders were trying to get her sister out of the damaged trailer, raising fears that the rest of the structure could collapse.