Flash flood emergency for New Orleans as Francine pounds Louisiana: Updates
Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on Hurricane Francine for Wednesday, Sept. 11. For the latest, view our story for Thursday, Sept. 12.
Francine made landfall along the Louisiana coast as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and threatening the region with widespread flooding as cities became inundated with rainfall.
Francine made landfall in the Parish of Terrebonne, about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, the National Hurricane Center announced at 5 p.m. CDT. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be near 100 mph.
Louisiana residents had braced for the storm's impact after Francine strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane, threatening the area with heavy rains and hurricane-force winds, according to the hurricane center. At around 1 a.m. CDT, the center of Francine was passing northwest of New Orleans.
Francine was later downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday night as is currently moving with sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the hurricane center's 1 a.m. CDT forecast discussion. Up to 12 inches of rain was possible in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night.
The storm swiftly knocked out power along the Louisiana coast with nearly 339,000 outages reported by late Wednesday, according to USA TODAY's power outage tracker.
Footage from television stations and social media showed water flooding streets amid heavy rainfall; high winds bringing down trees and utility poles; and damaged roofs.
Louisana Gov. Jeff Landry said the National Guard had been mobilized and had almost 400 high-water vehicles, 87 boats, and 50 helicopters ready to aid rescue and recovery efforts. He urged residents to follow instructions of local officials, including evacuation if necessary.
Some good news: The hurricane center said Francine was expected to rapidly weaken after making landfall. Francine was forecast to move into Mississippi and then northward into the Mississippi Valley as a tropical depression, reaching Memphis by Thursday night.
Developments:
? High wind gusts were reported in several areas, including 96 mph gusts that were reported at 5:29 p.m. in Dulac in Terrebonne Parish and 70 mph gusts reported at 7 p.m. about 5 miles east-southeast of New Orleans.
? Metairie, Louisiana had received 8.04 inches of rain and the official site at the New Orleans International Airport recorded 7.32 inches, the weather service said.
? The Mississippi Department of Education reported numerous school district closures on Wednesday and Thursday due to severe weather. Several Louisiana universities, including Louisiana State University and Tulane University, announced campuses will be closed through Thursday and moved to remote instruction.
? President Joe Biden late Tuesday approved Louisiana's emergency declaration after state officials delivered a letter urging him to approve the request. The federal emergency declaration will help response and disaster relief efforts.
? In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott cited a "high probability "of a life-threatening storm surge and urged residents along the Gulf Coast to follow the advice of local officials, including possible evacuations.
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Louisiana braces for landfall: Francine strengthens into a hurricane:
Significant flooding in New Orleans area, coastal parishes
Significant flooding was unfolding in the New Orleans area, forecasters warned. The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency on Wednesday night for the I-10 corridor in the New Orleans area, including parts of four parishes.
The agency warned that between 5 to 7 inches of rain had fallen and another 2 to 3 inches was possible. The weather service called it a "catastrophic" damage threat and warned people to seek higher ground.
"Francine is slowly lifting northward so rain will taper off. However, roads are still flooded! Do NOT go out," the weather service in New Orleans said on X at 9:25 p.m. "It’s not safe! Shelter in place in the lowest non flooded floor. Heavy rainfall will be reaching the Northshore in the next 1-2 hrs. Please continue to shelter!"
The weather service in New Orleans said during a 9 p.m. briefing that water was entering homes and businesses across St. Charles Parish, getting close to that in St. John the Baptist Parish, and entering buildings in Kenner.
Videos from local television stations and on social media showed major flooding in Metairie in Jefferson Parish as streets were overflowing with water. Some residents in Thibodaux — about 31 miles northeast of Morgan City and 58 miles southwest of New Orleans — reported water entering their homes and flooding living rooms.
A band of storms had set up and was dumping excessive rainfall over the same area, and the water in Lake Pontchartrain was rising, which meant the rain had nowhere to drain.
In Morgan City and Jefferson Parish, police asked residents to stay inside due to "severe" and "unusual amounts of flooding."
"Please allow city crews to manage the pumping station and push flood waters out the city," the Morgan City Police Department said on Facebook Wednesday night. "Please do not drive on flooded streets, this will increase the chances of homes taking on water damage."
Storm surge risk along Gulf Coast
Storm surge risks would continue across an area to the north and east of New Orleans for another couple of hours, weather service meteorologist Christopher Bannan said during a briefing around 9 p.m. Storm surge was expected across the northwestern portion of Lake Pontchartrain, with a rise of up to 6 feet possible, the hurricane center said.
In Bay St. Louis and Waveland, Mississippi, the storm surge was expected to rapidly rise for a few hours in the evening, Bannan said. That area is not new to storm surges. It was battered by a wall of water during Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The water level at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide gauge in Waveland had already been inching higher throughout the day on Wednesday.
Residents urged to 'hunker down'
The National Weather Service office in New Orleans said the storm's impact could last through Thursday morning with coastal flooding, high winds, drenching rain and even tornadoes. The office warned that areas along and west of the Pearl River should prepare for damaging winds while some bayou and lower river parishes should prepare for hurricane-force winds. Other likely issues will include power outages and damage to trees, mobile homes and roofs.
"Conditions will be deteriorating throughout the day! Make sure you have all preparations rushed to completion ASAP!" the office tweeted. "Then, prepare to hunker down & shelter in place through the overnight hours!"
Several parishes on or near the Louisiana coast earlier issued mandatory evacuation orders, and the state transportation department issued evacuation maps. In the Parish of Terrebonne, where Francine made landfall, a parish-wide curfew will remain in effect until the storm has subsided and the roads are clear.
The city of New Orleans was distributing sandbags at five sites. After distributing tarps, fuel cans, and canned food to about 300 families on Tuesday, New Orleans charity Below Sea Level Aid paused efforts on Wednesday as Francine approached Louisiana, according to the group's executive director Jack Waguespack.
"We expect to open up again tomorrow after the storm passes and we'll go where the need is," Waguespack told Reuters.
Parish in Greater New Orleans area faces sewage issues amid storm
Officials in Jefferson Parish, a parish in the Greater New Orleans area, urged residents to limit water usage during the storm due to the "aging sewer system," according to President Cynthia Lee Sheng.
“The system is getting overwhelmed,” Sheng said at a Wednesday news conference. “The water has nowhere else to go and it’s getting backed up.”
Lee Sheng said the parish received numerous reports on Wednesday about residents who were unable to flush their toilets and manhole covers that were bubbling up.
Parish officials advised residents to avoid activities such as washing dishes and doing laundry in an effort to minimize overloading the sewerage system. Officials added that the parish has over 500 lift stations with more than 1,800 pumps working to keep the system down.
“Crews are working diligently and out investigating sewer backups now; however, they will be off the streets once the winds reach 35 mph,” the parish said.
Morgan City business booms as storm nears
Police in the coastal community of Morgan City, in the projected landfall area of the storm, issued a curfew from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. Residents were asked to shelter in place.
Trenton Ho, who lives and works in Morgan City, says he's not worried. Ho, a cashier at the Fifth Street Store, said business was brisk Wednesday morning because most stores in the city of 12,000 people were closed ahead of Francine. His own preparations included freezing a case of water so it stays cold if power goes out.
"I'm not the least bit concerned about this storm," Ho, 32, told USA TODAY on Wednesday. "I was born and raised here. When you have lived here your whole life, you are used to this stuff."
Francine may pose a similar threat as it moves across the southeastern United States. Tornadoes are likely on Wednesday in southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and southern Alabama. The tornado risk is expected to expand to a larger area on Thursday.
Francine brings tornado threat to Southeast
Tornadoes are likely on Wednesday in southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and southern Alabama as Francine makes its way inland, AccuWeather warned. The tornado risk is expected to expand to a larger area Thursday and could linger into Friday.
“Because some dry air has become entrained into Francine’s circulation, itmay increase the number and intensity of severe thunderstorms, which could boost the number of tornadoes,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Mobile, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Huntsville in Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida, and Tupelo, Mississippi, are some of the biggest population centers that face a tornado threat, AccuWeather said, adding that tropical downpours may make the tornadoes difficult to see, raising the danger to lives and property.
Storm tracker: See path of Hurricane Francine
Francine third hurricane to make landfall on Gulf Coast this year
Francine is the third hurricane this year to make landfall on the Gulf Coast — Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida; and Beryl made landfall near Matagorda Bay, Texas.
It was also the 10th hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 2000. Francine is the eighth hurricane since then to make landfall at Category 2 strength or higher, according to Phil Klotzbach, senior research scientist at Colorado State University.
Those other landfalling hurricanes include:
2002, Lili, Cat. 1, Vermilion Bay, Iberia/Vermilion parishes
2005, Katrina, Cat. 3, mouth of the Mississippi River, Plaquemines Parish
2005, Rita, Cat. 3, Johnson’s Bayou, Cameron Parish
2008, Gustav, Cat. 2, near Cocodrie, Terrebonne Parish
2012, Isaac, Cat 1, Shell Beach, St. Bernard Parish
2020, Laura, Cat. 4, Cameron, Cameron Parish
2020, Delta, Cat. 2, Creole, Cameron Parish
2020, Zeta, Cat. 3, Cocodrie, Terrebonne Parish
2021, Ida, Cat. 4, Port Fourchon, LaFourche Parish
Francine is the third hurricane to make landfall in Terrebonne Parish since 2000.
Hurricane season may be heating up
Francine isn't the only storm on the map: Forecasters are also tracking four other disturbances across the Atlantic, which now appears to have fully woken up from its recent slumber.
This isn't surprising, as this week is the typical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.
While none of the systems are an immediate threat to land, all bear watching for potential tropical development, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.
The four systems range in location from a system just off the U.S. coast to a tropical depression far out to sea near Africa. Read more.
Contributing: Colin Campo, Houma Courier-Thibodaux Daily Comet; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Francine updates: Significant flooding, powerful rains in New Orleans
