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Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday night and today was taking aim at Louisiana with life-threatening storm surge and strong winds.
The hurricane has sent New Orleans residents scrambling to prepare with evacuations underway in multiple areas, impacting certain services and shutting down City Hall. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to prepare to hunker down.
“Hold the line, stay focused, stay prepared,” she said at a Wednesday briefing.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry – who had declared a state of emergency to help free up resources to prepare for the storm – instructed residents to take advantage of the electricity they still have.
By six o’clock, Louisianans should: “Stay home and stay put.”
Flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, and Lafayette Regional Airport were canceled on Wednesday. Some Thursday flights were also affected.
Francine is expected to make landfall in the afternoon or evening.
On Wednesday morning, the hurricane was swirling about 95 miles southwest of Morgan City with maximum sustained winds near 90 miles per hour, with some higher gusts.
The system 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.
