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Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday night and made landfall near New Orleans on Wednesday.
The hurricane 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 receive.
By Wednesday night, the system was downgraded into a tropical storm as it moved its way through Mississippi, heading north.
“There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge during the next several hours for portions of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines, where a Storm Surge Warning remains in effect,” National Weather Service forecasters warned.
Even as Tropical Storm Francine continues to weaken, forecasters ask people to remain vigilant about the rainfall and the potential for flash flooding.
