Wrath of Francine: 100mph hurricane slams into Louisiana
Hurricane Francine battered Louisiana with 100mph winds yesterday sparking flooding chaos and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
The ‘life-threatening’ storm first struck Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 hurricane at 5pm on Wednesday with the area hit by high winds and devastating storm surge.
It then moved towards New Orleans and beyond, pounding the city with torrential rain overnight and sparking flooding chaos.
More than 275,000 homes and businesses were left without power but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
Two vehicles on a flooded street during Hurricane Francine in New Orleans
Map tracker shows the probable path of Hurricane Francine
A road is flooded in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and the stop sign bent by high winds during the hurricane
Francine intensified into a stronger hurricane, as it approached Louisiana’s coast
TV news broadcasts from coastal communities showed waves from nearby lakes, rivers and Gulf waters thrashing sea walls.
Water also poured into city streets amid blinding downpours. Oak and cypress trees leaned in the high winds, and some utility poles swayed back and forth.
‘It’s a little bit worse than what I expected to be honest with you,’ said Alvin Cockerham, fire chief of Morgan City about 30 miles from where the storm’s center made landfall.
‘I pulled all my trucks back to the station. It’s too dangerous to be out there in this.’
Laura Leftwich, who sheltered at her mother’s home just outside Morgan City, said blasts of wind had swept away two large birdhouses outside.
She is currently using a generator to power internet connection so she could video chat with friends.
If the storm had been any more intense, ‘I wouldn’t have the guts to look outside,’ said Ms Leftwich, 40. ‘It’s a little scary.’
Rainfall from Hurricane Francine over the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans
People watch Hurricane Francine from inside the Sheraton on Canal Street in New Orleans
An air mattress blows in wind from Hurricane Francine in New Orleans
Residents fill sandbags with dirt to protect their homes from flooding as people make preparations before Hurricane Francine makes landfall in Houma, Louisiana
Morgan City firefighters respond to a home fire during Hurricane Francine in Morgan City
Rain and winds build up from Hurricane Francine in New Orleans
A fallen tree blocks an intersection on September 11 in Houma, Louisiana
Signage bends in the wind as Hurricane Francine passes through Morgan City
Francine, which is the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed off the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Despite strengthening to a Category 2 hurricane, it weakened to a tropical storm late on Wednesday and is forecast to be downgraded to a tropical depression today, the National Hurricane Center has said.
Much of Louisiana and Mississippi could get four to eight inches of rain, with the possibility of 12 inches in some spots, said Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the center.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry added that the National Guard would fan out to parishes impacted by Francine.
They have food, water, nearly 400 high-water vehicles, about 100 boats and 50 helicopters to respond to the storm, including for possible search-and-rescue operations.
Since the mid-19th century, some 57 hurricanes have tracked over or made landfall in Louisiana, according to The Weather Channel. Among them are some of the strongest, costliest and deadliest storms in U.S. history.
Morgan City firefighters respond to a home fire during Hurricane Francine in Morgan City
Francine intensified into a stronger hurricane, as it approaches Louisiana’s coast
A bent stop sign is seen after a deluge of rain from Hurricane Francine in Metairie
Signage is strewn across the intersection after Hurricane Francine swept through the area on September 11
A car is submerged to its wheel in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
President Joe Biden has granted an emergency declaration to help Louisiana secure expedited federal money and assistance.
Landry and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves also declared states of emergency.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said it had distributed more than 100,000 sandbags to the southern part of the state and the Department of Education reported a number of school district closures for Wednesday and Thursday.
