People in the Pineville area are picking up the pieces after severe weather overnight. 

Most of the damage appears to have been caused by falling trees and flying debris.

The cleanup process is underway after reported tornadoes ripped through town.

Deborah McCarley says she was doing some work around the house when suddenly the electricity started going in and out.

She turned off her air conditioner and could hear the wind howling.

“What it sounded like to me was either a freight train coming real fast or big boulders coming off of a hill, a bunch of them all at one time!” McCauley says.

Doug and Helen Keane live about a half mile away and decided to ride out the storm at home.

But right around midnight, they started to regret their decision.

“I kept trying to get him to go to the closet and finally we went. But it was probably the most frightening time I’ve ever had,” Helen Keane says.

Fortunately, the couple only had some roof damage and broken branches knocked wiped out a side mirror on their SUV.

The McCarley family is getting some help from neighbors including a couple young men who thought they would have the day off.

“They are here with their children. They’re out of school today so she’s got them putting in work gathering lambs and putting them in piles. That’s a big help,” McCauley says.

Cleco, the power company, says this is one of the hardest hit areas and they don’t expect power to restored until night time.

For more information on Cleco call 1-800-622-6537.

For more information on emergency personnel in the Pineville area, you can contact the Rapides Parish Sheriffs Office at (318) 473-6700.