ARABI, La. (WGNO) — Business owners are now picking up the pieces in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly tornado.
However, several businesses along St. Claude Avenue reopened Saturday.
“Some people say, ‘Oh my God, you didn’t have any damage. You know, I heard you were destroyed.’ And I said, ‘It looked that way, you know, three days ago,'” said Lynda Catalanotto, the owner of Old Arabi Marketplace.
Following the tornado, Old Arabi Marketplace was nearly destroyed with glass covering the floor inside.
After hours of labor, Catalanotto was able to open her doors.
“All the people who volunteered, it was amazing,” explained Catalanotto. “I had customers, I had friends, I had neighbors. I had people I’d never met before come help. So, it was a challenge, but I said I was gonna do it, and I did it.”
Although Catalanotto lost a big chunk of her store and is currently getting a new roof, she says it was important for her business to bounce back.
“Times have been really hard for me. I lost my husband a few weeks ago,” said Catalanotto. “I think it’s a necessary thing to happen in a community, to open as fast as you can open to give people some normalcy.”
Amid the tornado’s devastation, Catalanotto is looking on the bright side.
“My husband has been begging me to downsize. So, now he’s in heaven, and I think this was his message. So, we lost about 15,1600 square feet, and that’s probably perfect,” said Catalanotto.
