ASSUMPTION PARISH - All public schools in Assumption Parish will be closed Wednesday as clean up efforts begin in the parish that was rattled by high winds, storms and tornadic activity Tuesday afternoon.

A State of Emergency was already declared earlier in the evening by the Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness. A shelter is to be opened at Belle Rose Middle School for any residents that need it in the parish. The entire parish is also under a precautionary boil order after a tornado downed a water tower in Paincourtville, causing a massive pressure drop in the water system. Power outages also remain widespread.

About a dozen homes and businesses were destroyed in Assumption Parish during Tuesday’s bout of severe storms that brought tornadoes to the area, downing power lines and trapping people in buildings.

A water tower was also downed as the tornado passed by. News 2's Meteorologist Josh Eachus believes the tornado that passed through this area may have been the strongest one of the day, but that is a preliminary opinion.