Thousands Left Without Power After Hurricane Francine Makes Landfall In Louisiana

Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power after Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday, bringing torrential winds and rain. 

As of Thursday morning, Francine had been downgraded to a tropical storm, and there were an estimated 391,159 customers without power in Louisiana and 64,247 without power in Mississippi. The storm system is expected to move through Louisiana on Thursday and impact other southern states. 

Francine made landfall as a category 2 hurricane at 5:00 p.m. local time in the southern Louisiana Parish of Terrebonne on Wednesday. Its maximum winds were up to 100 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center, and hit Morgan City hard with rain and wind. 

“It’s a little bit worse than what I expected to be honest with you,” said Morgan City Sheriff Alvin Cockerham, according to CBS. “I pulled all my trucks back to the station; it’s too dangerous to be out there in this.”

In New Orleans, Miles Crawford helped save a man stuck in a truck submerged in water. He used a hammer to break open the vehicle’s window and helped pull the man out of the truck after going into the flooded street. 

A flash flood emergency was declared Wednesday in New Orleans as it was hit with six to eight inches of rain. 

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday morning that Francine will turn north in the next day or so and start slowing down. 

“On the forecast track, the center of Francine will move over central and northern portions of Mississippi through early Friday,” it said in an update. “Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 35 mph (55 km/h)  with higher gusts. Continued weakening is forecast, and Francine is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone later today.”

The storm is also expected to bring heavy rain to Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. 

“Francine is expected to bring storm total rainfall of 3 to 6 inches across portions of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle. Localized amounts up to 10 inches are possible within rain bands over portions of central and northern Alabama and over the Florida Panhandle. This rainfall could lead to locally considerable flash and urban flooding,” NOAA said. 

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration from Louisiana to mobilize federal assistance for storm response.