WESTWEGO, La. -- Residents and local leaders started cleaning up and assessing damage Tuesday morning after severe storms and at least one tornado swept through the New Orleans metro area.

"The people of New Orleans are going to be OK," New Orleans City Councilwoman Shelley Midura said.

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More than a dozen people were injured and one person was killed overnight.

An 86-year-old Gentilly woman, Stella Chambers, died at University Hospital after being thrown from her home in Pontchartrain Park, officials said.

WDSU-TV Meteorologist Margaret Orr said a tornado likely jumped from the Westbank and touched down again in the Gentilly area, although the National Weather Service hasn't yet confirmed it.

The New Orleans Fire Department confirmed that the temporary station for Engine 12 on Franklin Avenue was damaged during the storm, and some firefighters were injured.

Many areas in New Orleans are without power.

In Carrollton, a two-story home was lifted off its foundation and collapsed.

Also in Carrollton, an elderly man was trapped in his home as it collapsed. Debris fell onto a FEMA trailer in the front yard, where his son was staying.

Many of the homes had been in the process of repairs from damage they sustained in Hurricane Katrina when they were dealt a second blow.

There haven't been reports of serious injuries in that neighborhood.

Councilman Oliver Thomas told WDSU-TV that teams from the city's new Department of Recovery Management are already on the ground in neighborhoods, helping residents with food and shelter.

"We just can't get a break," Thomas said.

The New Orleans Police Department has set up a mobile command center with the Red Cross at Maple Street and South Carrollton Avenue.

Entergy crews had to cap a gas leak near the corner of Dublin and Belfast streets, turning off gas in the area, Midura said.

Buildings and cars are damaged along Downman Road in New Orleans East.

Entergy estimated that, at one point, there are about 30,000 New Orleans residents without power. That number was down to less than 23,000 residents by mid-morning, although the company said some people won't have power again until Wednesday morning.

Mayor Ray Nagin said streetlights are a priority as Entergy works to repair the lines.

On the Westbank, six people were injured when the roof of the Bon Soir Motel on the 600 block of the Westbank Expressway was torn off and thrown two blocks. It's lying in the middle of the Westbank Expressway, which currently is closed to traffic.

Although the structure is still standing, the motel's brick walls were also torn off.

Trailers were overturned in the area, Westwego Mayor Robert Billiot said, and at least 12 homes were damaged. So far, there's no word on the condition of the residents, but there are no confirmed fatalities in Jefferson Parish.

Jefferson Parish authorities were sending teams door to door through the area to check on residents.

Westwego officials said nine people were injured, including four who were taken to a local hospital.

Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch Sr. said the area should be considered off-limits. Westwego fire officials said power lines are down, so residents should be extremely careful when leaving their homes.

Entergy is working to repair lines in the area.

There is a police/fire command center set up on the Westbank Expressway at Avenue D.

Worley School at 801 Spartan Lane is open as a shelter for residents.

Jefferson Parish officials also opened a shelter at the Pard Playground, 5185 Eighty Arpent Road, in Marrero for Westbank residents whose homes were damaged.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee has made his helicopter available to other law enforcement agencies. New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley flew over the Carrollton neighborhood in the helicopter to survey the damage.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco is headed to the area to see what assistance the state can offer.

Anyone who sees a downed power line should immediately call 1-800-ENTERGY.

On the Northshore, trees were reported down on Highway 53 about five miles south of Poplarville. The National Weather Service said the damage was from a probable tornado.

A possible tornado also hit Acadiana, damaging outbuildings in New Iberia and touched down in the outskirts of Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, but there are no reports of injuries.

A police officer in Ocean Springs said he chased a tornado there, but there are no reports of damage.