Hurricane Francine reside updates: Louisiana braces for Category 1 storm’s landfall

A satellite image shows Hurricane Francine intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. The storm is moving very quickly and is expected to bring multiple life-threatening hazards in the next few hours.
A satellite image shows Hurricane Francine intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. The storm is moving very quickly and is expected to bring multiple life-threatening hazards in the next few hours. (CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS)

Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday night and today was taking aim at Louisiana with life-threatening storm surge and strong winds.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency to help free up resources to prepare for the storm.

The hurricane has sent New Orleans residents scrambling to prepare with evacuations underway in areas, and the city suspending certain services and shutting down City Hall. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to prepare to hunker down.

Flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, and Lafayette Regional Airport were canceled.

Francine is expected to make landfall in the afternoon to evening.

On Wednesday morning, the hurricane was swirling about 195 miles southwest of Morgan City with maximum sustained winds near 90 miles per hour, with some higher gusts.

Additional strengthening is possible this morning, although Francine is anticipated to weaken over land. The storm brings multiple other hazards, including flash and urban flooding. It is expected to dump as much as a foot of rain across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night.

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A billboard is seen on Wednesday in Morgan City, Louisiana, as Hurricane Francine approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast. Hurricane Francine is less than 100 miles away from the area. It is projected to make landfall by the afternoon or evening.
A billboard is seen on Wednesday in Morgan City, Louisiana, as Hurricane Francine approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast. Hurricane Francine is less than 100 miles away from the area. It is projected to make landfall by the afternoon or evening. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)

Tropical storm conditions have reached the Louisiana coast as Hurricane Francine moved about 95 miles southwest of Morgan City Wednesday afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center said that life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds are expected to begin in Louisiana during the next several hours.

The timeline for the hurricane’s landfall is still from afternoon to the evening. Little change in strength is expected before it hits.

After that, the system will cross southeastern Louisiana before moving northward across Mississippi on Thursday.

The system is forecast to become post-tropical on Thursday.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 18:55

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Sandbags and plastic line the entrance to the the Williams Research Center in the New Orleans French Quarter on Wednesday. The city is bracing for Hurricane Francine, which is expected to make landfall in the coming hours. City officials hosted a news conference in preparation for the storm.
Sandbags and plastic line the entrance to the the Williams Research Center in the New Orleans French Quarter on Wednesday. The city is bracing for Hurricane Francine, which is expected to make landfall in the coming hours. City officials hosted a news conference in preparation for the storm. ((AP Photo/Kevin McGill))

New Orleans officials warned in a wide-ranging press conference on Wednesday that there will be street flooding in the major metro.

Isolated tornadoes are also possible in the region.

“Please, starting this afternoon, and particularly tonight— this evening six, seven o’clock— get off the roads,” Collin Arnold, New Orleans’ director of homeland security and emergency preparedness said.

“Hold the line, stay focused, stay prepared,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

This press conference is live. Please check back for updates.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 18:30

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to hold news conference

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell speaks in Kenner, Louisiana, in 2019. The mayor said she would hold a news conference at noon to discuss the coming storm. The presser will be streamed on Instagram.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell speaks in Kenner, Louisiana, in 2019. The mayor said she would hold a news conference at noon to discuss the coming storm. The presser will be streamed on Instagram. (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell tweeted that she would hold a news conference on Instagram Live at noon.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 18:02

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New Orleans shifts to bus transit services only

Boards and sandbags cover the windows of a Bourbon Street bar in New Orleans' French Quarter on Wednesday. The city is under a hurricane watch, as the storm barrels toward the Louisiana coast.
Boards and sandbags cover the windows of a Bourbon Street bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter on Wednesday. The city is under a hurricane watch, as the storm barrels toward the Louisiana coast. ( (AP Photo/Kevin McGill))

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority will shift to bus transit services only on Wednesday, starting at noon.

The city’s emergency preparedness campaign said that all ferry and streetcar operations would remain suspended until further notice.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 17:59

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Louisiana officials give press briefing on Francine response

Louisiana governor gives update ahead of Hurricane Francine

The time to evacuate has now passed, Louisiana officials warned Wednesday. In a press conference, Republican Governor Jeff Landry said that Hurricane Francine was beginning to impact the state.

“Stay home and stay put,” the governor said, advising people to take advantage of the power they currently have.

“If the conditions are not too rough in the area, then now could be the last opoortunity for you to take photos of your property to assess the damage once the storm has passed,” Landry added.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks at a Wednesday press conference in Baton Rouge. Landry warned residents to stay inside as Hurricane Francine barrelled toward the state.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks at a Wednesday press conference in Baton Rouge. Landry warned residents to stay inside as Hurricane Francine barrelled toward the state. ((Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP))

Residents are also instructed to put important documents in a safe and waterproof place.

“We are now no longer in the prepare for a hurricane, we are now in the respond for a hurricane,” Jacques Thibodeaux who serves as the Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 17:33

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Hurricane Francine will bring life-threatening hazards in coming hours

A satellite image shows Hurricane Francine intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. The storm is moving very quickly and is expected to bring multiple life-threatening hazards in the next few hours.
A satellite image shows Hurricane Francine intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. The storm is moving very quickly and is expected to bring multiple life-threatening hazards in the next few hours. (CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS)

Hurricane Francine was moving very quickly more than 200 miles to the southwest of New Orleans late Wednesday morning.

The storm strengthened over night, with maximum sustained winds at 90 miles per hour. Francine was shifting, National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan said, to the northeast at 13 miles per hours.

Multiple life-threatening hazards are expected for Louisiana over the course of the next few hours. Brennan said the agency was very concerned about storm surge from Intracoastal City to Port Fourchoun.

The New Orleans metropolitan area was under a hurricane watch. There were tropical storm warnings across the Louisiana coast. Tropical storm conditions are expected into Mississippi, as well.

At this point, Governor Jeff Landry said people should stay indoors and off roads.

“We stand ready,” he said in a press conference.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 17:29

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President Biden approves emergency declaration for Louisiana

President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., last week. FEMA said President Biden had approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Francine.
President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., last week. FEMA said President Biden had approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Francine. ((Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images))

FEMA announced Wednesday that President Biden had approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana. The action authorizes the agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts, including mobilizing necesary equipment and resources.

The city has asked that residents stay off the roads and shelter in place by 11 a.m. The hurricane is expected to hit this evening as a Category 1 storm.

“Conditions will worsen throughout the day—stay safe!” the mayor wrote on social media.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 17:08

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In Pictures: Louisianans prepare for blow from Hurricane Francine

Louisiana residents are preparing for Hurricane Francine, stopping at gas stations and filling up sandbags.

Kevin "Choupie" Badle, 67, rides his bike with an umbrella ahead of Hurricane Francine on Wednesday. The storm will hit later today or this evening. A state of emergency has been declared.
Kevin “Choupie” Badle, 67, rides his bike with an umbrella ahead of Hurricane Francine on Wednesday. The storm will hit later today or this evening. A state of emergency has been declared. ((AP Photo/Gerald Herbert))
Nolan and Macie Melancon fill up sandbags for their home on Tuesday, as rain falls. Residents of New Orleans lined up for sandbags at a YMCA parking lot, and teenagers in Lafitte worked to fill them for hours.
Nolan and Macie Melancon fill up sandbags for their home on Tuesday, as rain falls. Residents of New Orleans lined up for sandbags at a YMCA parking lot, and teenagers in Lafitte worked to fill them for hours. ((Chris Granger /The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP))
A customer enters a boarded up gas station in Morgan City, Louisiana, on Wednesday. The path of the storm had shifted east since Tuesday, and would now impact the area.
A customer enters a boarded up gas station in Morgan City, Louisiana, on Wednesday. The path of the storm had shifted east since Tuesday, and would now impact the area. ((AP Photo/Gerald Herbert))
Pat Simon, a resident of Morgan City, stops at a gas station as he evacuates to a hotel on Wednesday. Morgan City announced a curfew for residents ahead of the storm through Thursday morning.
Pat Simon, a resident of Morgan City, stops at a gas station as he evacuates to a hotel on Wednesday. Morgan City announced a curfew for residents ahead of the storm through Thursday morning. ((AP Photo/Gerald Herbert))
Julia Musto11 September 2024 16:52

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Flight tracker shows more than 100 flight cancellations at Louisiana airports

People stand in line to get through the TSA security checkpoint at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in August 2021. The airport has seen nearly 100 cancellations on Wednesday morning. It is not the only Louisiana airport affected by the storm.
People stand in line to get through the TSA security checkpoint at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in August 2021. The airport has seen nearly 100 cancellations on Wednesday morning. It is not the only Louisiana airport affected by the storm. ((Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images))

The website showed 91 had been cancelled at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

At Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, there were 17. And, the Lafayette Regional/Paul Fournet Field had 10.

Cancellations were also shown at major travel hubs in Texas, including in Dallas and Houston.

Julia Musto11 September 2024 16:22

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Louisiana residents fill sandbags for hours ahead of storm

Roxanne Riley, 42, stocks up on supplies at a Walmart in New Orleans. Residents were sent scrambling to prepare for Francine before it became a hurricane.
Roxanne Riley, 42, stocks up on supplies at a Walmart in New Orleans. Residents were sent scrambling to prepare for Francine before it became a hurricane. ((AP Photo/Jack Brook))

Residents of Louisiana have scrambled to prepare for Hurricane Francine, putting plywood on windows in Morgan City and filling sandbags. While some took the chance to evacuate their homes, others would ride out the storm.

In New Orleans, cars and trucks were lined up for blocks to collect sandbags from the parking lot of a local YMCA.

The National Guard will be deployed to parishes that could be impacted by Francine, bringing food and water.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency.

The governor, who is expected to hold a press conference in a little over an hour, commended teens in Lafitte who were filling sandbags and stacking them for “14 hours straight,” according to WDSU.

“#LouisianaStrong,” he wrote in a post of social media.

With reporting from The Associated Press

Julia Musto11 September 2024 16:11

Source: independent.co.uk