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At least two people were killed after as many as five tornadoes ripped across Texas and Louisiana Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.
Three tornadoes were reported in Louisiana and two were reported in Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
In Ruston, Louisiana, a tornado killed two people, said Gov. John Bel Edwards, who planned to travel to the city Thursday to assess the damage. The two have not yet been identified.
Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said in a statement that half of the city was without power Thursday morning and warned people to stay off the roads.
Local public schools and Louisiana Tech University, which suffered "a significant amount of damage" were closed Thursday, according to school officials. No Louisiana Tech University students were injured.
Another tornado touched down in Converse, Louisiana, according to the NWS, which warned residents: "You are in a life-threatening situation. Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible."
A third tornado was reported 100 miles east in La Salle Parish, Louisiana.
And just over the Louisiana border, in San Augustine, Texas, another reported tornado left behind power and water outages and gas leaks, said Fire Chief Charles Sharp. He said some homes in the city were completely destroyed.
Mayor Leroy Hughes said the city suffered widespread destruction, but he hadn't heard reports that anyone had been injured. A tree fell on his own house while he and his wife were in bed, trapping them in their bedroom. He said it happened so quickly that he "didn’t have time to be afraid."
The couple eventually found their way to a safe place to ride out the twister.
Four structures were also damaged in another tornado in Brazos County, Texas, according to the NWS.
In Leander, just north of Austin, trees were downed fences were ripped out of the ground when a severe storm passed through.
"It looked like looking into a washing machine out the window," said resident Daniel Brown.
Most of Texas experienced heavy rain Wednesday. Car parked in an underground parking garage at Dallas Love Field Airport were completely submerged.
Tweets from the Waco Fire Department said crews had to use boats to rescue people from their flooded trailers.
In Waco, the fire department had to use boats to rescue people from their flooded trailers late Wednesday night.
The severe weather is expected to move east through Louisiana and over the Florida panhandle Thursday, according to the NWS. Those areas could see winds gusting at 60 mph, 3-5 inches of rain and possible tornados.
