Lincoln Parish Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Kip Franklin holds a piece of siding from the Evans Street house where Kendra and Remington Butler lost their lives during the tornado. It hangs in Franklin’s office with pictures of the Butlers affixed to it.
The Evans Street home of Kendra Butler, where she and her son Remington lost thier lives the night of the tornado, is pictured here soon afterward with piles of tree debris stacked on top of it.
The Butler home, and the house to its right, have since been demolished, and the lots on the end of Evans Street now lie vacant.
What was left of the Pow-Wow gas station and convenience store on the I-20 service road after the tornado.
The current state of the empty lot where the Pow-Wow once stood.
The destroyed Courtesy Loans, Parish Press and Edward Jones businesses the morning after the tornado.
The new business buildings as they currently stand on Trenton Street where Parish Press and other destroyed businesses stood last year.
The Ruston High School football stadium press box and light pole knocked out by the storm.
The stadium's new press box and light pole as they stand now.
An aerial view of the tornado damage to America's Best Value Inn, Pizza Hut and surrounding buildings last year.
A current aerial view of the same area.
A ground view of the destroyed America's Best Value Inn as it stood the morning after the storm.
A current view of the remains of the motel: a slab and downed sign.
One year later, a piece of the motel's laundry sign, presumably ripped of during the tornado, remains lying on the ground at the site.
An aerial view from April 25, 2019 of the Louisiana Tech University baseball field.
A current aerial view of early construction work going on at the same site to build Tech's new baseball field and facility.
The Louisiana Tech Kappa Alpha fraternity house took a tree through the roof from last year's storm.
The Kappa Alpha house as it stands now.
Hibbett Sports was destroyed by the 2019 tornado as well.
Now Hibbett Sports stands rebuilt with new signage, though the store is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ruston resident Tyler Storms' Westwood Drive house was heavily damaged by the 2019 tornado.
The same Westwood Drive house as it stands now while renovations continue.
While standing in her remodeled Robinette Drive home, Mary Vidrine displays a collage of photos showing the damage the house sustained last year.
Mary Vidrine points to the ground where she and her husbands' bedroom used to stand before the 2019 tornado destroyed it.
The above photo gallery shows a mix of "then and now" shots of the immediate damage following the April 25, 2019 tornado and where things stand today.
Hover your cursor over an image to see a description.
To read our full tornado anniversary article, click here.
We remember and honor the mother and son, Kendra and Remington Butler, who lost their lives during the storm.
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