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Louisiana tornado leaves 1 person critically injured
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In this story: Cars blown off the road Twister struck near medical center RELATED STORIES, SITES 
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HOUMA, Louisiana (CNN) -- A tornado ripped through the southern Louisiana town of Houma on Wednesday, damaging more than two dozen homes and causing the roof of a shopping center to collapse.
At least 37 people were hurt, most suffering minor injuries. One person is in critical condition, said Earl Eues, the town's assistant director of Emergency Management.
The tornado tore a mile-long swath of destruction through the east side of town about 2 p.m., damaging 25 to 30 homes, including some extensively, Eues said.
"We've got roofs off, trees down, and power lines are down," Eues said. "We had some cars blown off the road."
Power was out in the heavily damaged areas of Houma, a town of about 48,000 about 55 miles southwest of New Orleans and about 30 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Eues said a shelter had been set up for those whose homes were damaged and that about 200 emergency crews were out trying to survey damage and clear debris.
"The main concern right now is to try to get the streets clear," he said.
The shopping center where the roof collapsed houses a drug store and department store. Eues said it was not immediately clear if anyone was injured there.
Twister struck near medical center
The area hit was about a quarter to half-mile from Chabert Medical Center. Fourteen people with minor injuries were treated at the hospital.
Robert Callahan, a spokesman for Terrebone General Medical Center, said one woman was in critical condition. More than a dozen others were treated there for minor injuries.
Light to moderate rain had been falling in Houma since the morning.
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RELATED SITES:
The Tornado Project Online!
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