At least 3 dead after storms, tornadoes rip through Gulf states

TAMPAA, FLA. (FOX 13 News) - Tornadoes and severe weather ripped through the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, injuring several in Pensacola, Fla. and even claiming at least three lives in Louisiana and Mississippi, authorities said.

One of the most hard-hit areas appeared to be The Grand Baroque Townhome community in Pensacola.

A picture taken before the storm shows the building on a bright and sunny day, standing tall with a 'For Sale' sign out front. But a photo taken after the storm shows that same building ripped to shreds. 

Nothing but the stairs leading up to what was once the front door remained, surrounded by debris and pieces of the home scattered on the ground. 

The tornado was said to have jumped over Interstate 10, tearing down trees and shutting down the interstate. 

There are reports that several people were injured, and that search and rescue operations were still underway Wednesday morning.

And before it hit Pensacola, that same storm system was said to have ripped through a recreational vehicle park in the town of Convent, in southern Louisiana. Two people were killed there, said St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin, speaking on local television. Authorities were still looking for people possibly trapped under the debris, Martin said.

Thirty-one people were taken to area hospitals, and seven of them were in critical condition, he said.

"We never had anything like this; we never had this many people injured in one event, and so much destruction in one event," Martin told WVUE news. "We won't stop searching until we're satisfied we've searched every pile."

Authorities believed three people were still missing, but efforts to account for them were hampered because it was unclear how many people were at the park when the storm hit, or how many people were taken to hospitals in private vehicles.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.