New Orleans Is Swamped as Storm Batters Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Bill pounded the Gulf Coast on Monday, spinning off a tornado that injured four people, forcing evacuations and leaving at least 200,000 homes and businesses without power.

The storm swamped the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter and prompted crews to slam shut the floodgates protecting the low-lying city.

Louisiana Gov. M.J. “Mike” Foster Jr. declared a statewide emergency, and Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove declared an emergency in three southern counties.

One person was seriously hurt and three suffered minor injuries when the tornado tore up a trailer home in Reserve, 38 miles from New Orleans. Twenty other trailer homes and a private school’s gym also were damaged, said Van Gilmore, assistant director of civil defense in St. John the Baptist Parish.

Three fishing vessels in Cat Island Pass, about 60 miles south of New Orleans, called for help and Coast Guard helicopters flew out to find them, Petty Officer Jonathan McCool said.

Power company officials said more than 200,000 people were without power Monday and many customers should expect to be without power today.

Bill -- the second tropical storm of the year -- had sustained winds of about 60 mph, well short of the 74-mph hurricane threshold.

It spread rain across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Although Bill made landfall in central Louisiana, some of the worst rain was in Mississippi. National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Ricks said 12.8 inches fell in the Van Cleave area, and Pascagoula got 8 inches by noon.

Ricks said the French Quarter, New Orleans’ West Bank and lower St. Bernard Parish got some of Louisiana’s heaviest rain -- about 5 to 6 inches.