SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A possible tornado caused “catastrophic” damage to the Louisiana city of Slidell, officers said as they assessed the wreckage Wednesday.

Damage was extensive on the south end of Slidell, the police department said. Police video shows roofs torn off of homes and apartments, tree limbs littering the streets and flooded yards that resemble Louisiana swamps. Outside a McDonald’s restaurant, a car was on its side, power poles were leaning toward the ground and large pieces of the McDonald’s Golden Arches sign were strewn about the street.

“The damage is unbelievable, and this is just the beginning,” said one officer, as he showed the path of the suspected tornado. “We’re still making our way throughout the city to try and assess the totality of everything, but this storm was no joke. It’s something that we haven’t seen in Slidell in a very long time, or maybe ever, with this amount of damage.”

A first responder told the officers, who were recording their walk through the area, that they had to pull out more than 50 residents from an apartment building that had its roof torn off, among other damage.

First responders were also dealing with downed power lines, high water and downed trees.

“It’s bad, guys. I can’t stress enough to stay off the roadways,” said one Slidell officer on video.

Robin Marquez was at work, in a two-story building in Slidell when the sky suddenly darkened and she could see a cylindric funnel quickly approaching.

“Tornado,” she screamed, hoping other employees would heed her warning.

She and seven others huddled in her office, away from windows as wind gusts imitated the sounds of a train above them, the lights flickered and they could feel “the building being torn apart” around them.

“I’ve never talked to God so much before in my life,” the 45-year-old said.

Marquez and the others with her were not injured. When they left their shelter, they saw complete destruction. The roof was gone, the walls caved in and the aluminum siding was ripped off. In the middle of what once was the building’s lobby lay a speed limit sign.

Officials with the St. Tammany Parish reported hundreds of homes were damaged throughout the parish. The American Red Cross said it is working with the parish to offer care to people who have been displaced.

More severe weather was expected throughout the day Wednesday. An undisclosed number of injuries were reported.

Heavy rain, tornadoes, hail and damaging wind gusts were all possible across the Gulf Coast and the Deep South on Wednesday, according to meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook with the NWS Weather Prediction Center.

In Texas, several people were rescued from homes and vehicles early Wednesday morning when flooding inundated parts of Jasper County, near the Louisiana line, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.