A security footage at Auto Xtreme Collision Center in Lafayette revealed a tornado flipping one of the cars parked on their garage.
Owner of the car shop, Chance Broussard, told News 15 that they closed down the shop over the weekend because of the severe storms in the area. When they came back, they noticed something is off.
"I noticed the tin on that old shed back there was all torn up and I said something's wrong with that car it wasn't parked like that when we left Friday," Broussard narrated.
After going through their security footage, they saw something they did not expect.
"I didn't think it (tornado) was that powerful but you just see it straight to that car over there and it just picked it up, turned it around and dropped it back down," he said.
The footage showed the horrifying moment the tornado swept across the parking lot then tossing the 4,000-pound car several feet high.
ABC 13 the tornado was part of the same violent storm system responsible for at least five deaths in three states.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said there is no safe option when you are inside a car when a tornado strikes. However, it is best to not outrun a tornado, unless you precisely know how the tornado moves and where it is going.
"You have to know where you are in relation to the tornado, you have to know what direction the tornado is moving, and if you know those things, there is a good chance you can actually get out of the way. But you have to know those things. You can't just assume," Greg Carbin, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Storm Prediction Center (SPC) told Popular Mechanics.
Carbin said that seeking shelter below bridges and other heavy infrastructure, such as an overpass, is not advisable because the wind that's "forced through a small, rigid opening" can increase its speed that will tear an individual.
If debris are already flying everywhere and the roadway is already the lowest ground you can get to, it is best to stay inside the car with your seatbelt in place. Duck and cover your head with your hands plus cushions available at the moment.