BASILE, La. (KLFY) - A tornado has hit parts of Basile, injuring three people.

The tornado destroyed Rhea's Specialty Meats, a staple in Basile. Three employees were injured. One suffered from ankle and shoulder injuries. The other two employees were cut on the head. All three were treated and released, according to owner Jude Burton.

Five employees were in the meat room of the building, which is no longer standing. Only the diner side of the building is still standing.

Melba Hebert, one of Rhea's employees, was working in the meat room when the tornado tore through the building.

“Our butcher, he hollered ‘Tornado.’ He seen it through the window," Hebert said. "So, we took off; he said, ‘run run.' And we couldn't run. It was sucking us in.”

Hebert said they were buried by the rubble of the building, saying she told the others to protect their eyes from the flying glass.

"I had so much cement on top of me... guess that's what protected me," Hebert said.

The National Weather Service said it was an EF1 tornado with winds at 95 mph. The length was 1 mile, and the width was 150 yards.

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When News 10 arrived, the community was helping Burton salvage what was left of the store, packing meat into coolers.

“I want to thank them, 100%," Burton said. "They're ready to clean it up and do whatever. They’re phenomenal. This town is phenomenal.”

Burton has owned Rhea's Specialty Meats for nearly 11 years. Even though his business was destroyed, his main concern was the people left without jobs.

"I was getting emotional when I got here and when I saw it," Burton said. "And I was more worried about the people that work for me. Once I saw they were okay, then it kind of set in what we’re looking at.”

Burton hopes to rebuild the community staple.

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