ARABI, La. — Today marks one year since a deadly tornado tore through Arabi.
The EF-3's destructive path started on the West Bank before crossing the Mississippi River. It then slammed Arabi and parts of New Orleans East.
If you visit the Arabi neighborhood today, you'll still find foundations where homes once stood.
Jill Barthe lives in the neighborhood that was hit hard.
“The last year has been very intense," Barthe said.
Her family was forced to live elsewhere while they repaired their home.
“We’ve been home for a couple months now, and we’re just enjoying sitting on our couches again, and being able to be happy in our house. That we weren’t, we were not in the house for very long," Barthe said.
Like many homes in the neighborhood, their home was a new build at the time of the tornado.
The family hunkered down in a closet and thankfully made it out alive.
Across the street, 25-year-old Connor Lambert wasn't as lucky. His home was leveled.
“Connor is, you know, he’s still in our minds," Barthe said. "He will always be our neighbor.”
A tornado threatened Arabi again in December.
“There were people that got hit in March of last year, that got hit again in December, and I mean I can’t imagine," Barthe said.
The St. Bernard Parish community has weathered many a storm.
Gillis McCloskey is a St. Bernard Councilmember for District A, which includes Barthe's neighborhood.
“The area's come back. You know, our people are really really resilient. You know, I think the only houses that maybe something hasn’t been done with are maybe people that are in litigation with their insurance company which every Louisianian knows that we’re in a struggle with insurance companies right now," McCloskey said.
McCloskey worked to get additional funding for tornado victims over the last year. He said he's proud of the progress.
“These homes were completely destroyed and some of them went all the way down to the ground and came back up. So, it’s amazing how far we’ve come," McCloskey said.
McCloskey said that a memorial will be installed on Connor Lambert's property soon.
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