Arthur damaged homes all around St. Mary

St. Mary Parish felt the impact of last week’s weather as Tropical Storm Arthur passed through.
But the parish was actually in a relatively calm zone between torrential rain to the northwest and tornadoes to the east.
Meteorologists say 28 inches of rain fell in 48 hours in portions of Avoyelles Parish, sending public service agencies scrambling to rescue people and pets.
A tornado warning was issued for St. Mary just after 2 a.m. Thursday, but no twisters were reported. To the east, at least eight tornadoes touched down in the Bayou Region on Thursday, four of them in the Houma area. A ninth tornado was reported Friday and is considered to be a result of Arthur.
The tornadoes touched down along a line from Houma to Hancock County, Mississippi.
The tornadoes were all of EF-1 strength — three-second gusts of 110 mph — or less. Even so, significant damage was reported to homes and businesses.
The official word on rainfall from the National Weather Service is that 2-3 inches of rain fell in east St. Mary and 3-4 fell in the western parish.
Again, Houma was hit harder, with rainfall of more than 8 inches reported.
The deluge in Avoyelles caused widespread damage.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries said in a Facebook post that it used boats, trucks and specialized vehicles to rescue 74 people and six pets.