LAPLACE — Two tornados tore through St. John the Baptist Parish Tuesday evening, leaving 9,200 residents in greater LaPlace without power.

Parish officials stressed there were no reported deaths and only minor injuries.

Parish President Natalie Robottom said St. John is under a state of emergency, adding she advises residents to proceed with caution.

“The major damage that is being seen in the parish is roof and home damage, and it is significant,” Robottom said. “There are approximately 200 structures that are damaged and many of them are unlivable. Many vehicles have been damaged as well.”

The parish is in constant contact with the National Weather Service, Robottom adding the storm has passed St. John but area residents should expect a little more rain but nothing like the area experienced Tuesday.

All public and private schools, including the Louisiana Technical College in Reserve, closed Wednesday because of power outages and road closures, Robottom said, adding Entergy has been working to replace power lines and transformers throughout the parish. At this time they estimate power to be restored to all by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Portions of Airline Highway in LaPlace are closed because of power outages in areas such as LaPlace Park to Belle Terre Boulevard and Sugar Ridge Subdivision.

“As soon as debris has been cleared, we will be able to open up the area,” Robottom said. “Other areas that were significantly hit were Carrollwood Subdivision, Foxwood Subdivision, Belle Terre, Riverlands and Cambridge.”

Robottom said some of the areas that were impacted by Hurricane Isaac in 2012 were damaged in Tuesday’s storms, including Spring Meadows Subdivision, Indigo Park Way, Saw Grass, Cambridge, Yorktown, south of St. Andrews, north of Fairway, the Riverland Subdivision, West Frisco, East Frisco and Evergreen.

The parish president asked residents who do not live in impacted areas or are not helping, to stay away from the areas because there are homeowners trying to restore their property.

“There is debris in the roadways that can damage your vehicle,” she said. “Because there is debris that has been placed on the sides of the roads, there isn’t much space for sightseers, so we are asking residents who do not belong in those areas to stay away from them and, if possible, stay in their homes.”

Emily C. Watkins in LaPlace served as a shelter for those who suffered damage Tuesday night. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, there was only one family — a mom and her grown son — using the facility.

Mass Care and Sheltering Officer Rhonda Lemons said there were a few families who used the facility Tuesday night, adding most left that night, the rest leaving early Wednesday morning.

There are about 50 cots available.

“They came to regroup and make calls,” Lemons said.

The Red Cross helped with the shelter Tuesday and replenished supplies Wednesday morning.

However, Lemons said the Red Cross is so strapped in the area, they sent members of the New Orleans Fire Department to run the shelter.

Capt. Herman Franklin is the NOFD person in charge.

“We came at the request of the New Orleans EOC to assist and maintain the shelter,” he said. “The Red Cross didn’t have enough volunteers to do it. We came and set up the shelter (Tuesday night). We’ll be here as long as necessary.”

Staff writers Raquel Derganz Baker and Lori Lyons contributed to this report.