Hurricane Francine weakens as it moves into Louisiana from the Gulf Coast

Francine weakened Thursday after slamming into Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, caused storm surges to sweep through coastal communities and raised fears of flooding in New Orleans and elsewhere as torrential rains swept across the northern Gulf Coast.

The tropical storm is forecast to be downgraded to a tropical depression as it moves northward over Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain is expected in parts of Mississippi and neighboring states, forecasters said, warning of the possible threat of scattered flash flooding as far away as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta.

Francine slammed into the Louisiana coast Wednesday night with 100 mph (155 kph) winds in coastal Terrebonne Parish, battering a fragile coastal region that has not fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021.

It then moved at a rapid pace toward New Orleans, pounding the city with torrential rains.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. Television news broadcasts from coastal communities showed waves from nearby lakes, rivers and Gulf waters lashing against seawalls. Water poured into city streets amid blinding rains. Oak and cypress trees leaned in the high winds and some utility poles swayed back and forth.

“It’s a little bit worse than I expected, to be honest with you,” said Alvin Cockerham, fire chief in Morgan City, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from where the storm’s center made landfall. “I brought all my trucks back to the station. It’s just too dangerous to be out there with this.”

Power outages in Louisiana surpassed 390,000 by Thursday morning, according to tracking site poweroutage.us, with an additional 46,000 outages reported in Mississippi.

Laura Leftwich, sheltering in place at her mother’s home outside Morgan City, said gusts of wind had blown away two large birdhouses outside. She had a generator powering an internet connection so she could video chat with friends, and she held her computer up to a window to show them the water overflowing into the street.

If the storm had been stronger, “I wouldn’t have the guts to look outside,” said Leftwich, 40. “It’s a little scary.”

Francine, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, fed on extremely warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened into a Category 2 storm before making landfall. It weakened late Wednesday to a tropical storm.

In addition to the torrential rains, there was a persistent threat of tornadoes from the storm on Thursday. Much of Louisiana and Mississippi could see 4 to 8 inches of rain, with a 12 inches possible in some spots, said Brad Reinhart, a hurricane specialist with the hurricane center.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the National Guard would be deployed to parishes affected by Francine. They have food, water, nearly 400 high-water vehicles, about 100 boats and 50 helicopters to respond to the storm, including possible search and rescue operations.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.