SHREVEPORT, La. – Beryl has made its presence known in the ArkLaTex, claiming a woman's life and leaving swaths of damage from possible tornadoes or high winds.
The fatality was reported in the Benton area. A 31-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home.
Two elderly people were injured in southwest Caddo Parish when their mobile home was rolled of its foundation.
Beryl gets the blame as it retained tropical storm status while moving through the ArkLaTex throughout the day Monday. The KTBS 3 Weather Team reported 56 tornado warnings were issued over an approximate six-hour period.
Beryl, which early in its formation became a powerful Category 5 hurricane, entered Texas Monday morning near Matagorda Bay. The local area started feeling the impact by early afternoon.
The path of destruction in Bossier Parish began in the southern part of the parish in Elm Grove and is still being assessed all the way up to the Highway 2 area in Plain Dealing. Areas that are heavily affected are the Bellevue/Wafer Road areas in Haughton, Linton-Bellevue/Crouch Road area and the Old Plain Dealing Road area in Benton. Sheriff Julian Whittington urges everyone to avoid the affected areas so damage can be further assessed and removed from roadways and powerlines.
The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office has reported trees and power lines down in Pleasant Hill. The main highways are open; however, some secondary roads are blocked.
On the other side of Sabine Parish, structures at Jolly Rogers Marina on Toledo Bend have suffered damage, in addition to areas on Coker Worsham Road and Woodlake Drive.
In DeSoto Parish, Beulah Baptist Church, located southwest of Mansfield, sustained heavy damage from what likely was a tornado.
More than a dozen roads are closed mostly on the western side of DeSoto Parish. Logansport cannot be accessed from the north, the sheriff's office said.
Closed roads include: Highway 5 at Ward Palmer, Bethel Road from Highway 3015, Highway 3015 from Smyrna Road, Highway 5 at Cowboy Lane, 1618 Mary Street, Highway 174 from the DeSoto line, 1208 Highway 172, Highway 481 at Beulah, Harts Bluff Road at Jesse Wyatt, Barnes Road west of Nubbin Ridge Road, Nubbin Ridge Road and Bynog Private Drive, Hamilton Road, 3417 Highway 481 and 745 Highway 764.