Janice R. Andrews
Wednesday evening, Hurricane Francine hit the coast of Louisiana. It caused a lot of damage, a lot of power cuts, and the possibility of catastrophic floods. It was a Category 2 storm, and Francine cut power to more than 261,000 people. It also damaged coastal towns and called for help as it pushed a dangerous storm surge along the Gulf Coast.
With winds that never stopped, the strong storm hit land in Terrebonne Parish, which is about 30 miles southwest of Morgan City. As Francine moved through the area, which was still healing from the damage caused by hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, it quickly overloaded infrastructure that wasn’t ready for it, causing a lot of damage.
Early Damage and Power Outages
Morgan City Fire Chief Alvin Cockerham said the scene was worse than expected and that the storm had a quick effect on the city. “It’s a little bit worse than what I expected, to be honest with you,” he said. “I brought all of my trucks back to the station.” Being outside in this is too risky.”
Right away, people could feel the effects of Francine. Strong winds tore down power lines, uprooted trees, and caused streets to flood a lot. Power went out across southeastern Louisiana as the storm’s outer bands hit the city. Poweroutage.us says that most homes and companies along the coast and in the middle of the country were hit by the blackouts.
TV shows showed shocking scenes of water pouring into city streets because strong waves from nearby rivers and lakes broke through sea walls. High winds made oak and cypress trees sway in dangerous ways, and the weight of the trees and poles tipped over.
Taking cover from the storm
As Francine’s strong winds and rain continued to hit the area, people were getting ready for the worst. Laura Leftwich, who went to her mother’s house just outside of Morgan City to stay safe, talked about how scary things were. She said, “It’s a little scary.” “Two big birdhouses outside were blown away by strong winds.” I wouldn’t have been brave enough to look outside if the storm had been worse.
A lot of homes in the area lost power during the storm, including Leftwich’s. To stay warm, they turned on backup generators. Leftwich used her generator to stay in touch with friends through video chat. She could show them the rising water levels outside her window, where streets were starting to flood.
Even though there was a lot of damage, no one was hurt or killed right away, but officials warned that the danger wasn’t over yet.
There are threats of flooding and tornadoes as Francine moves inland.
As Francine moved further inland, the National Hurricane Center told people to stay inside overnight. Even though the storm got weaker after hitting land, it was still a big problem as it moved toward New Orleans. As the storm’s eye moved closer to the city, widespread rain and limited floods became more of a worry.
On Thursday, Francine was expected to keep moving north through Mississippi. This made flash floods more likely in places like Jackson, Birmingham, Memphis, and Atlanta. The storm could cause floods, and as it moves across the southern United States, it could also cause tornadoes.
Brad Reinhart, a senior storm expert, said that a lot of Louisiana and Mississippi could get 4 to 8 inches of rain, and some places could get as much as 12 inches. The heavy rain put towns at great risk because they were already under a lot of water from Francine’s first impact.
Preparing for and responding to emergencies
Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana called up the National Guard to help with relief and cleanup efforts in the storm’s worst-hit areas. “The National Guard is prepared to fan out to affected parishes with food, water, high-water vehicles, boats, and helicopters,” he stated. “We’re ready to respond to potential search-and-rescue operations.”
At the same time, President Joe Biden declared an emergency to get government money and resources to the area faster. Governor Tate Reeves of nearby Mississippi also declared a state of emergency, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency sent out more than 100,000 sandbags to help keep the state from drowning.
As the state got ready for Francine’s effects, schools were also closed across southern Mississippi. The government told people to stay inside and not drive through flooded streets because the situation was still dangerous.
A History of Storms
Louisiana has a long history of hurricanes. Some of the deadliest and most expensive storms in U.S. history have hit land there. 57 hurricanes have gone through or over Louisiana since the middle of the 1800s. Hurricanes like Katrina and Ida have left ongoing damage in the area.
When Hurricane Francine hit Morgan City, it felt like something they had seen before. The city, which has about 11,500 people, is on the Atchafalaya River and has lakes and swamps all around it. Morgan City is especially prone to storm waves and flooding because it is known as an entrance to the Gulf of Mexico for the shrimping and oilfield businesses.
Plans for the Future
As Francine moves inland, it will be easier to see how bad the harm is. There is still a big risk to people all over the southeastern U.S., even though the storm is supposed to get weaker. Since heavy rain, floods, and maybe even tornadoes are on the way, first responders are still on high watch.
Most likely, people along the Gulf Coast will spend the next few days figuring out how bad Francine was while power workers work to get power back on in thousands of homes and businesses. On the other hand, flash flooding is still a worry as the storm moves toward the northern states.
Many people are curious about what the next hurricane season will bring because Hurricane Francine has once again shown how vulnerable coastal towns are to weather events that get worse and worse.
