ShareFrancine further weakens to post-tropical cyclone; flooding still a concern
Francine, now a post-tropical cyclone, continues on its path and is expected to bring more rain across parts of the South, along with the risk of flooding.
At 5 p.m. ET, the storm was about 90 miles south of Memphis, with maximum sustained winds of 25 mph and some higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is expected to turn to the northwest and slow down, the center said.
Flood watches and wind advisories remain in effect for some areas in or near the storm’s path. Francine could bring 4 to 8 inches of rainfall across parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, with some areas getting more than 12 inches, the hurricane center said.
While Francine’s wind speeds have calmed considerably since its peak as a Category 2 hurricane, wind advisories remain in parts of those states, Florida excluded, with some tropical-storm-force gusts possible, the center said.
A few tornadoes are possible through the evening in the Florida Panhandle, southern and central Alabama and southwest Georgia. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are possible along the northern Gulf Coast through the evening, but those swells are expected to subside, it said.
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Nearly 285,000 customers in Louisiana remain without power
Nearly 285,000 customers remain without power in Louisiana after Hurricane Francine made landfall Wednesday as a Category 2 storm.
The southeastern region of the state is heavily affected, with 284,459 customers without power shortly before 2:30 p.m. local time, according to a power outage map of the state.
Parishes most heavily affected include Terrebonne, with 25,691 customers without power; Lafourche, 30,877; Ascension, 34,263; and Jefferson, 46,771.
Utility company Entergy had 228,356 customers without power, according to the outage map.
ShareChevron to resume production at facilities off Louisiana after storm passes
Oil and gas company Chevron said today it will resume production at its floating production units in the Gulf of Mexico offshore Louisiana, Anchor and Tahiti “only after the storm has passed and we can safely redeploy our crews.”
Production at other Chevron-operated facilities in the Gulf of Mexico “remains at normal levels.”
“We remain focused on the safety of our workforce, the integrity of our facilities and the protection of the environment,” a Chevron spokesperson said.
Share311,000 customers without power in Louisiana
The number of power outages in Louisiana slowly decreased today, and at 2 p.m. ET it was at over 311,000 customers, according to PowerOutage.us.
ShareDowned tree injures Louisiana trooper
A Louisiana state trooper was injured trying to clear downed trees from the roadway on Interstate 10 last night.
The trooper, from Troop A outside the Baton Rouge area, was working on removing downed trees around 8 p.m. local time when another tree fell and struck the trooper, causing minor injuries.
The trooper has been released from the hospital and is home recovering, Col. Robert Hodges, superintendent of Louisiana State Police, said at a news conference today.
He said troopers continue to assess damage and road conditions and urged the public to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.
ShareAround 500 people were in Louisiana shelters overnight
Around 500 people were in shelters overnight across Louisiana, said David N. Matlock, the secretary of children and family services.
The state had a capacity for around 5,000 people in local shelters. As of this morning, around 300 people were sheltering in 18 facilities.
“Through the night we expect some increase in occupancy,” Matlock said.
ShareNew Orleans was hit with more rain than expected, state climatologist says
Louisiana state climatologist Jay Grymes said Francine has left the state and winds have subsided, leaving weather favorable for recovery.
Francine hit the state with more rain than anticipated, particularly in the New Orleans area.
“Two reasons for that: One, the storm did take a slight jog to the east. Two, it moved a little more slowly than expected,” Grymes said at a news conference today.
He said that rainfall totals in and around New Orleans were 5 to 7 inches, with some pockets hitting 8 inches. On the Northshore, some areas clocked double-digit rainfall. Flooding continues in the Florida Parishes’ rivers, but the waters will recede.
ShareMillions face flooding as Hurricane Francine weakens and heads inland 
As many as 14 million people from the Florida Panhandle to New Orleans and as far north as Memphis, Tennessee, were under flood watches today after Hurricane Francine slammed into the Louisiana coast and cut a soggy swath across the country’s midsection.
The weakening but still potent storm was forecast to dump up to 10 inches of rain on parts of Alabama and Florida, and the National Hurricane Center warned there could be scattered flash flooding across major Southern cities, such as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis; and even Atlanta.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. But tornado watches were also in effect across Alabama and northern Florida through this afternoon, while more than 50,000 customers across the region were without power and local officials began to assess the damage.
Read the full story here.
ShareNo reports of storm-related deaths in Louisiana
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said at a news conference today that so far there are no reports of any storm-related deaths.
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As Francine barreled through Louisiana, it brought fierce winds that blew over trees, fast-moving floodwaters that inundated roads and trapped cars, and caused tree branches to break off and catch fire after falling onto power lines.
ShareLSU lifts shelter-in-place order for campus
Louisiana State University lifted its shelter-in-place order for campus this morning.
“Please exercise caution while moving around the campus,” the school wrote on X. LSU said there were “no major impacts to campus” from Francine.
Classes had been canceled for today because of the storm.
ShareLouisiana governor to hold press conference at 12:30 p.m. ET
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry will host a press conference on Francine’s damages and recovery plan at 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. CT) .
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Locals in Louisiana are waking up to survey the damage done by Hurricane Francine, which has left neighborhoods underwater and knocked out power affecting tens of thousands of residents.
NBC correspondent Jesse Kirsch spoke with a resident in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans, who told him she and her family called for help from the waist-deep water but rescue teams were unable to reach her. Instead, she and her family climbed on top of the roofs of their cars to stay above water.
Share12 million under flood warnings 
At least 12 million people are under flood warnings after some 3 to 6 inches of rain were possible in parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, with up to 10 inches possible in some spots in parts of Alabama and Florida, forecasters said. They warned of the potential threat of scattered flash flooding as far-flung as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta.
Francine slammed the Louisiana coast last evening with 100 mph winds in coastal Terrebonne Parish, battering a fragile coastal region that hasn’t fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. It then moved at a fast clip toward New Orleans, pounding the city with torrential rains.
ShareMississippi governor says no injuries reported from Francine
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said no injuries have been reported in the state from Francine so far.
More than 160 people used shelters last night as the state was battered by the storm, the governor wrote on X. As of this morning, 51,000 are without power in Mississippi — a decrease from a high of 64,000.
Flooding remains ongoing in parts of the state along with road closures. Damage assessments will start this morning.
“Heavy rain is expected to continue through at least this afternoon, so please continue to stay weather aware,” Reeves wrote.
ShareFrancine weakens to tropical depression, but flood alerts and tornado watches are in place for parts of the South
Francine weakened to a tropical depression this morning as it heads northeast, bringing flood alerts to multiple states and a tornado watch to Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Francine brought fierce winds to Louisiana with top wind speeds of 105 mph reported on Eugene Island, 97 mph in Dulac and 78 mph at New Orleans International Airport. It also brought intense rain with the highest amounts reported around the New Orleans metro area and 7.33 inches reported at the airport.
Today, 14 million people are under flood alerts including the metro areas of New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama and Panama City, Florida.
There’s also a tornado watch for portions of southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET). Today, isolated tornadoes will be possible across Alabama and northern Florida.
ShareAn estimated 100 homes took on water in city of Kenner
About 100 homes took on water in the city of Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans, as Francine passed over dumping rain and triggering devastating flooding, according to city officials.
There were multiple emergency response calls in the University City neighborhood overnight, city public information officer Natalie Newton told NBC News. Newton said she wasn’t aware of any injuries as a result of Francine.
As of 7:30 a.m. ET, there are still several parts of the city that are flooded and damage assessments have not been done yet as city workers continue to respond solely to emergencies.
Share26 rescued from floodwaters in Lafourche Parish
In Lafourche Parish, southern Louisiana, 26 people trapped in rising flood waters from Francine were rescued last night.
Deputies responded to a call about residents trapped in housing units on Lasseigne Road in the city of Thibodaux around 7:30 p.m. All of the residents, who included young children, were safely evacuated and transported to an emergency center at Lockport Community Center, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
A curfew remains in effect in the parish until 10 a.m., and residents are asked to shelter in place until them.
ShareSouthern Louisiana suffers direct hit from Hurricane Francine 
Reporting from New Orleans
Hurricane Francine battered southern Louisiana with powerful winds up to 100 mph, ripping off roofs and knocking out power for tens of thousands. After making landfall, the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm. NBC’s Tom Llamas reports and the “TODAY” show’s Al Roker tracks where the system is headed next.
ShareGood Samaritan rescues pickup driver live on TV during Francine floods 
A bystander who went into a flooded underpass to rescue a pickup driver who drove into the floodwaters and saved him on live television said he is an ER nurse and used to high-stress situations.
“I guess it is a big deal, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary, so to speak,” the rescuer, Miles Crawford, told NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans.
Crawford used a hammer to break a rear window and help pull the driver of a pickup to safety during WDSU’s live coverage of Hurricane Francine.
“I saw that there was a guy in there and the water was steadily rising,” he said. “I was seeing if we could find anything to break the window, and so I ran back to my house and grabbed a hammer and ran back.”
ShareNumber of severed power connections rises to 450,000
The amount of energy customers in the dark this morning as Tropical Storm Francine makes it way north through Louisiana continues to rise.
In Louisiana itself, there were more than 390,000 customers without energy at 7 a.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.us, as well as more than 60,000 in Mississippi and more than 10,000 in Alabama.
ShareStreets become rivers in New Orleans suburb
High floodwaters have turned the streets of Bucktown, part of the north New Orleans suburb of Metairie, into a series of canals.
This video posted on X late last night shows the sheer extent of flash flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Francine.
ShareFrancine has weakened, but meteorologists warn life-threatening conditions remain
Tropical Storm Francine quickly weakened from a Category 2 hurricane after it made landfall last night and it could become a post-tropical storm as early as this morning.
But the danger for southern states is not over as the storm moves north.
“There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge during the next several hours for portions of the eastern Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines, where a Storm Surge Warning remains in effect,” the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. ET update.
Heavy rainfall could continue to bring flash flooding to urban areas, including along rivers in the lower Mississippi Valley and the Tennessee Valley, the center said.
ShareStreets flooded in New Orleans suburb as Francine passes
Tyler Hosch
Tyler Hosch
Major flooding hit the north New Orleans suburb of Metairie as storm Francine passed through the region in the early hours of this morning.
ShareMore than 400,000 without power in Louisiana and Mississippi
A huge number of energy customers are without power as Francine passes over New Orleans.
At 4:30 a.m., more than 372,000 connections were down in Louisiana and almost 30,000 in Mississippi, according to PowerOutage.us, with fears that the total could rise as severe weather continues.
ShareDebris blocks roads in Louisiana as Francine draws near
A fallen tree blocks an intersection in Houma, Louisiana, yesterday as Hurricane Francine approaches from the Gulf of Mexico.
Brandon Bell / Getty ImagesShareFrancine packs a punch as it crosses Louisiana
Jay Gray and Angie Lassman
Reporting from New Orleans
Extreme flooding has struck New Orleans and more than 350,000 power outages were reported as Francine, now a tropical storm, pushed inland. NBC News’ Jay Gray and meteorologist Angie Lassman have the latest details on “Early TODAY.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-12 11:05:00
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