Hurricane Francine made landfall with Category 2 strength and quickly pushed northward to harass central Mississippi by Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reports.
Upon making landfall, Francine was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and then a tropical storm within hours.
Its trajectory was originally projected to land in western Louisiana, near Lake Charles and Lafayette before working up central Louisiana. But Francine’s course actually shifted eastward prior to landfall such that Morgan City and New Orleans bore the brunt of the storm’s “life-threatening,” 100 mile per hour wind conditions, heavy rains and flash flooding when the hurricane reached Louisiana’s coast.
As of Thursday morning, hundreds of thousands across Louisiana are without power, Entergy maps show. Over 10,000 are without power in Baton Rouge.
State climatologist Jay Grimes said at a Thursday morning press conference the New Orleans and Northshore sustained much of the rainfall and flooding, with some areas receiving double-digit inches of precipitation that caused flooding in low and urban areas.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Louisiana Wednesday night at Gov. Jeff Landry’s request.
“This federal assistance will be pivotal to save lives and property. As Hurricane Francine approaches Louisiana, I appreciate President Biden quickly approving this request,” Landry said in a statement.
Federal organizations, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will make assessments before doling assistance.
“We, as of now, have had no reports of any storm-related fatalities,” Landry said at the Thursday morning press conference, flanked by experts and advisers.
Landry said state officials are prioritizing getting utilities back online and urges Louisianans to keep the roadways clear, using them only if they must at this time.
“There’s always something to be grateful for,” said U.S. Sen. John Kennedy at the conference. ”But that is cold comfort to our people who sustained damage. And we did have damage.”
Kennedy said the entire Louisiana congressional delegation is united in securing relief funds for the state.
LSU had issued a shelter-in-place order starting Wednesday morning and lasting through Thursday at 1 p.m.; this order was lifted by the university at 10 a.m. Thursday. Shattered showers are probably through the day, according to The Weather Channel.
“The human spirit is defined by its resiliency,” Landry said. “And resilience is what defines Louisiana.”
