Just before 4 p.m. on Friday a storm rumbled strongly into Bogalusa, with driving rain, gusting winds, and lightning. Within minutes, Avenue U was flooded in front of the International Paper buildings, where the water normally doesn’t pool. That almost brought traffic to a halt, as small limbs fell all around and lightning flashed repeatedly.

Tommy Theibaud, director of Washington Parish Homeland Security, said Monday that he never did get a severe thunderstorm warning from the National Weather Service.

“The people that were in it might have thought it was severe, but sometimes it’s not as bad as it seems,” he said. “It was strong, but not severe.”

By the time the storm had passed, water stood on streets where it normally doesn’t flood and tree debris was widespread.

In addition, the baseball field backstop had been thrown on its face at Bogalusa High School, a large section of a towering Hackberry tree outside Annunciation Catholic Church had succumbed to its power, and a tree at Cassidy Park was damaged.

No injuries or major structural damages were reported.