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Killona community trying to salvage what they can following tornado

St Charles Parish residents are trying to pick up the pieces, morning the loss of a loved one and trying to find somewhere to live.

KILLONA, La. — Day two, and many are still coming to terms with what happened after an EF2 tornado ripped through Southeast Louisiana, destroying everything in its path.

Killona in St Charles Parish was severely hit, with the storm claiming one woman's life. 

Azealya White and her family had no clue a powerful tornado was heading straight for them. White told Eyewitness News, “It felt like a movie. I was like, we’re going to die, we’re all going to die.”

White went on to say, “I realized something is coming. I feel the pressure as I am jumping up and running out my room.”

She says the storm was so strong, it started carrying away her brother, “He’s just lifting. I see him lifting up more.”

Two days later, families aren’t looking at the place they once called home. They’re looking at rubble. White said, “We lost a lot, we lost our whole home, we lost everything… within seconds.”

At the intersection of Railroad Drive and Schoolhouse Road in Killona, a 102- year-old home is of one of the very few houses still standing. The property owners told me the home has withstood many Louisianan hurricanes, but the tornado that came through this week was too powerful.

The storm claimed the life of Allison Alexander, who was found outside near the remains of her home. Her neighbor and former classmate, Marlon Brown is grieving the loss of a friend.

“It’s a terrible loss with Allison, wish that hadn’t happened because everything else can be replaced, but she can’t," said Brown.

His family home, destroyed, Brown said, "I thought it would be something I would pass on to my to my kids, even grandkids, so it’s heartbreaking.”

He says, “The foundation was moved, pretty much picked up, and moved over about 10 feet.”

The White family had a trip to Tennessee planned for the holidays; now they’re just trying to find a place to sleep.

“I have nowhere to go, I’ve lost everything," said White.

The White family has a GoFundMe set up to help with everything that comes with rebuilding.

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