By Isabella Kwai
On Thursday morning, parts of New Orleans and its marshy southwestern communities awoke to elevated floodwaters and overflowing canals following Francine’s assault on Louisiana overnight. Rescuers ventured into the darkness to save residents from drenched homes as fierce winds uprooted trees and left almost half a million people without power.
The storm struck land on Wednesday evening, bringing winds of 100 mph and impacting a sparsely inhabited section of the marshy coastline. By dawn, it had diminished to a tropical depression, yet heavy rainfall was anticipated to continue across parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle as it progressed inland.
Here’s what we’re reporting:
— Water rescues: Louisiana officials advised residents to refrain from traveling on Thursday, enforcing curfews in certain parishes. Rescuers managed to reach some individuals stranded by rising waters, including over two dozen in and around Thibodaux, where the storm made landfall.
— Additional damage: According to the State Police, much of the destruction in southeastern Louisiana stemmed from downed trees and utility poles, coupled with high waters. The storm also caused widespread power outages, affecting more than 440,000 customers across Louisiana and Mississippi. Numerous universities, schools, and government offices shut down their campuses on Thursday.
— New Orleans: Low-lying streets and homes in suburban New Orleans were inundated with floodwaters. Local officials reported that drainage systems, overwhelmed, operated overnight to remove rainwater. While waters receded in canals on the east bank of the Mississippi River, they remained elevated. Some residents were requested to conserve water to prevent overloading the sewer system.
— Neighboring states: Forecasts indicate heavy rainfall for Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, with some areas potentially receiving up to 10 inches. Tornadoes are also a possibility in certain regions, particularly from the Florida panhandle to north-central Alabama.
