Storm Francine races into Louisiana, slamming state with rain and wind

By Ned Randolph

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Storm Francine barreled into southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi and Alabama on Thursday, pounding the region with heavy rains and gusty winds while threatening the Gulf Coast with dangerous flooding and widespread power outages.

It had weakened from a Category 2 hurricane to a tropical depression as it moved northeast, but still packed winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and threatened areas with dangerous storm surges early on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

Some 6.6 million people were under a tropical storm warning issued by the National Weather Service, as rains of up to two inches an hour were expected in the area on Thursday morning. In all, some spots could see as much as 10 inches of rain before the storm subsides, the service said.

It was expected to weaken further become a post-tropical cyclone later in the day, the center added.

The storm has left about 450,000 homes and businesses without power and dozens of people had to be rescued from floodwaters across the three-state region.

Just to the south of New Orleans in Lafourche Parish, more than two dozen people, including small children, were rescued from rising flood waters on Wednesday evening, the local sheriff's office said online.

The iconic French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans, known for its tourist bars and restaurants, was locked down on Wednesday with a noticeable police presence and very few pedestrians.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and U.S. President Joe Biden each declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm, freeing up emergency management resources and potential financial aid in the event of serious damage.

(Reporting by Ned Randolph in New Orleans; additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Andrew Heavens)