The 1964 Larose tornado was a powerful tornado that formed and dissipated on Larose, Louisiana. The strongest tornado from Hurricane Hilda, it touched down of October 3, 1964, on 6:30 a.m., CST. It was designated as an F4 tornado on the Fujita scale, before dissipating just right after. The tornado killed 22 people, with 165 injuries. Damage totaled to $2.5 million (1964 USD). The tornado was featured in the Life Magazine and caused the construction of a chapel.
Meteorological synopsis
Background
Satellite image of Hurricane Hilda, just south of Louisiana. It spawned the 1964 tornado.
On September 28, 1964, Hurricane Hilda formed as a depression south of Cuba. Tracking northwest, it strengthened into tropical storm intensity the next day. On September 30, it intensified into a minor hurricane after high pressure affected the storm. In the next 30 hours, rapid intensification was observed, making landfall over Louisiana on October 3 as a category 2 hurricane, with peaks up to category 4. After making landfall, cold air caused the system to dissipate the next day. Just after the landfall of Hilda, a tornado spawned at around 6:30 a.m. CST.[2] The tornado was rated as F4 in the Fujita scale.[1]
Track
The tornado touched down lightly near Bayou Lafourche, crossing west. It dipped, then lifted up again. It followed a 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) long track.[1]
Impact and casualties
Aerial view of the intersection of two waterways, in Larose in 1998. Larose is the main town where the tornado took place.
Because of Hurricane Hilda, 450 people evacuated to Larose, with an additional 50 residents.[3] When the tornado neared Louisiana Highway 1, it destroyed cars and damaged houses. Worst-hit areas had most homes flattened, with approximately three to four houses still having their shells.[1] Residents experienced windows breaking. With one house floating above utility lines. Citizens recall the house "exploding in the air".[3] Debris went as far as Coteau Bourgeois, which was 16 mi (26 km) away from Larose. Most deaths were due to enclosure in people's homes as the houses collapsed.[1] A total of 22 people was killed and 200 were injured because of the tornado, with one family having 10 deaths.[3]
Response
After the tornado, citizens helped rescue operations, digging soil to try to find other residents, and helping them go inside ambulances.[3] The event appeared in the October 16, 1964, edition of Life Magazine. It also caused a chapel to be built by one of the affected citizens.[4]
