At least one dead as tornado rips through New Orleans

A debris lined street is seen in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, after strong storms moved through the area (Gerald Herbert/AP)

A tornado has torn through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs, flipping cars, ripping roofs off homes and killing at least one person in a region that was pummelled by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago.

Parts of St Bernard Parish, which borders New Orleans to the south east, appeared to take the brunt of the weather’s fury, and that is where the death happened.