New Orleans area recovering from tornadoes that ripped through the region

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• Judy Woodruff:

  The New Orleans area has spent this day recovering from tornadoes that ripped through overnight. One person was killed and the governor declared emergencies in four parishes.

  Community correspondent Roby Chavez has the story from New Orleans.

• Roby Chavez:

  Overturned vehicles, downed power lines and street lights, homes completely destroyed.

• Woman:

  That's across the street from us.

• Roby Chavez:

  This is the devastation left behind after a tornado tore through the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans and surrounding areas Tuesday night.

• Devin, New Orleans Resident:

  It was definitely, I would say, almost worse than a hurricane. So, it was — I don't know. It was definitely traumatic.

  The house was shaking. So, we hurry up and got in the bathroom. And then a tile in the bathroom fell on us. So, yes, it was pretty traumatic experience.

• Roby Chavez:

  New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell spoke to reporters today:

  Latoya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana: We are declaring, and that's being prepared right now for my signature, a state of emergency to enable access to any federal resources that we will be eligible for.

• Roby Chavez:

  Meanwhile, residents in the hardest-hit area of Saint Bernard Parish, just five miles from the French Quarter, are left with piles of debris.

  The storm hit in an area battered by unusually strong storms, including Hurricane Ida and a powerful tornado in 2017. The intense weather has stunned residents in this working-class community, which still hasn't fully recovered from Hurricane Katrina. That's when 68,000 residents were left homeless.

  Louisiana has activated hundreds of National Guard personnel to clear up roadways and assist in local search efforts to ensure no one is left unaccounted for. The storm hit Louisiana after more than a dozen tornadoes roared across Central Texas earlier this week, prompting residents to quickly seek shelter at this Walmart in round rock, just outside of Austin.

  Near the Oklahoma border, a 73-year-old woman was killed as twisters continued wreaking havoc across the Deep South. As the storm moved through Alabama overnight, significant damage was reported just south of Tuscaloosa. And at Mississippi State University in Starkville, several cars on campus were crushed by falling trees.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Roby Chavez in New Orleans.