EF1 Tornado

On Saturday, February 24, a tornado touched down in our neighborhood. Our side of the neighborhood was not touched but just 1/4 mile away it touched down. Up until 12:00pm today our neighborhood has been "restricted". In other words you had to show proof that you lived here to get in. The police even patrolled the neighborhood. Here is an expert from The Shreveport Times.

Tornado hits...City
By Adam Kealoha Causey

...Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office at Shreveport Regional Airport said an EF1 tornado generated 90 to 100 mph winds that snapped trees, ripped shingles, bashed businesses and destroyed whole sections of 40 to 60 houses shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday. Law enforcement agencies, fire department emergency personnel, American Red Cross officials and volunteers, Bossier Parish prisoners and neighbors worked for hours to clean up debris and assess damage.

The storm tore a mile-long, 250-yard wide path along adjacent..., meteorologist John Hansford said.

"These storms were moving roughly 60 mph to 65 mph, so when it did touch down, it didn't take long to move through that part of...."

Besides minor cuts, scrapes and bruises, no serious injuries were reported, spokesman Mark Natale said.

This house is one of many damaged by a tornado...on Saturday. (Val Horvath/The Times)

Rating the damage Meteorologists began using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale Feb. 1 to rank tornado intensity from zero to 5. The EF scale incorporates more damage indicators and degrees of damage than the original Fujita scale, established in 1971.
EF0 (Gale) 65-85 mph.
EF1 (Weak) 86-110 mph.
EF2 (Strong) 111-135 mph.
EF3 (Severe) 136-165 mph.
EF4 (Devastating) 166-200 mph.
EF5 (Incredible) 200 or greater.
Source: The National Weather Service...

We were very blessed that it did not reach us but it is devastating to see those that it did touch.