Raining Worms in Jennings?

July 9, 2007
Reported By: Lee Peck

Like she's done so many times, Jennings Police Department employee Eleanor Beal crosses the street to go to work -- but Sunday afternoon was different.

"All of the sudden things started falling from the sky," recalled Beal.

It wasn't a bird. It wasn't plane. It was worms... Large tangled clumps falling on her and another female officer.

"When I saw that they were crawling... I said it's worms get out of the way," said Beal. "I ran as fast as I could thinking I could get to shelter."

Word that it was raining worms was so far fetched that Communications Officer Martha Amie had to see it to believe it.

"And it was all over the street. And they had a few together, but they had a few globs. I looked in the sky, there was no clouds, we weren't under the poles and we weren't under the trees and I couldn't believe it! I just ran back inside because I didn't want any more to fall on my head," said Amie.

As we all know, earthworms live in the dirt. They don't have wings. So just how did those slimy creatures become airborne?

"I don't know where this could have possibly came from," said Amie.

"I would think it's some kind of bird that regurgitated the worms. I don't understand how they were still alive," said Beal.

Another likely possibility may lie less than 5 miles away. At the same time as the unusual worm shower these pictures were taken near Lacassine Bayou where a water spout touched down. The National Weather Service tells 7 News a marine advisory was issued for surrounding waterways, but can't say for sure that the two incidents are connected.

So while the mystery may remain unsolved, Beal is sure of one thing, "It's very scary, I've never seen anything like this in my life," said Beal.  And she hopes to never see it again.