



"Believe it or not, we had some people in there who were still trying to shop," Bordelon said.



Walmart spokeswoman Erica Jones said the Arkansas-based company hopes to reopen the store Tuesday, but wasn't sure that will happen, citing needed repairs to a natural gas line.



Storms in central Mississippi near Mendenhall and Mount Olive were preliminarily identified as tornadoes by the National Weather Service, based in part on radar signatures. Both storms damaged farm buildings and homes. Other possible tornadoes will be surveyed later.



In Louisiana, there was also relatively serious damage in the southwestern parishes of Beauregard and Allen, including the town of Reeves. Some wind damage was also reported in Houston and throughout East Texas. Though Arkansas had also been included in warnings, there was only a stray report of hail in Jackson County in the northeast part of the state.



Tens of thousands lost power in Louisiana and Mississippi at the height of the storm, according to utilities.