Francine Makes Landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 Hurricane

By T. J. Muscaro

Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 Hurricane at about 5 p.m. Central time on Sept. 11, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It landed just 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and 85 miles west-southwest of New Orleans and has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches for more than 15 parishes, as well as parts of Mississippi as Francine’s outer bands distribute intense thunderstorms across the southeastern portion of the state.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and other state-level authorities told residents that it was time to “stay home and stay put” and announced the first road closures during an early afternoon press briefing.

“The time to evacuate has now passed,” Jacques Thibodeaux, director of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said during the briefing. 

It was time to hunker down as the state shifted from preparation mode to response mode, he said.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry told residents to take advantage of the time while they still have electricity to ensure all devices such as cellphones and external batteries are fully charged.

Landry confirmed that President Joe Biden accepted his state of emergency declaration on Sept. 10. The federal government will provide direct assistance and 75 percent reimbursement of emergency response costs for all Louisiana parishes.

Landry said he had not spoken directly to Biden yet, but said he spoke with the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and Louisiana’s congressional delegation. 

“I am fully confident that our federal partners are working very well with the state agencies and our local partners,” he said.

The projected track of the storm has shifted slightly, putting the center of the cone of uncertainty closer to Lake Pontchartrain.

Meteorologist Jay Grymes said during the press conference that most of the storm’s impacts should be out of the state by about midnight.

The National Hurricane Center reported that Francine is expected to lose considerable strength within 12 hours of making landfall, with winds down to 65 mph as it heads toward the vicinity of Jackson, Mississippi.

Still, Landry reminded his state’s residents that utility crews cannot repair lines if the winds exceed 30 mph.

Further Predictions

Heavy rainfall and a risk of considerable flash flooding, urban flooding, and river flooding are expected across Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Sept. 12, as well as in the Lower Tennessee Valley and Lower Mississippi Valley through Sept. 13.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also joined Landry in declaring a state of emergency in preparation for the storm’s arrival.

A storm surge of up to 10 feet is still expected in the impact area between Burns Point and Port Fourchon. Meteorologists expect up to seven feet of surge from Port Fourchon to the mouth of the Mississippi River, and as much as six feet is expected for Lake Pontchartrain.

Several parishes have issued evacuation orders. All residents of Terrebonne Parish living in areas south of these flood gates and in portions of the parish’s six flood zones were ordered to evacuate.

Joe Donahue, secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), confirmed four road closures due rising water levels or closing floodgates during the press conference. 

Those closures were portions of Louisiana State Route 317 in St. Mary Parish, which Donahue said was requested by the locals, State Route 45 in Jefferson Parish, State Route 3147 in Vermilion, and State Route 27 in Cameron.

Since then, the DOTD website has reported scores of other weather-related road closures across southeastern Louisiana between Lafayette and New Orleans.

Hurricane warnings extend inland to Baton Rouge. Tropical storm warnings are issued for Lafayette, New Orleans, and portions of Mississippi, including Gulfport, Hattiesburg, and Laurel.

Hundreds of thousands of sandbags have been distributed across Mississippi and Louisiana.

Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Friloux, adjunct general of Louisiana, said that the total number of mobilized national guardsmen will reach 2,500 before the storm hits. They currently have 58 boats, 101 high water vehicles, and 61 aircraft in the area of operations.

Fourteen route clearance teams have been staged in seven parishes to help remove debris and clear roads for first responders.

Louisiana’s complement of emergency response resources also includes 150 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents with rescue trucks and vessels and 400 active Louisiana State Police troopers.

Landry ended the press conference urging residents to properly prepare for the storm.

“Just because it is a Category 1 or possibly a Category 2 doesn’t mean it’s just going to be a thunder bumper,” he said. “I know that we have been through a lot here in Louisiana. Again, I urge everyone to take the necessary preparations if you’re in the storm’s pathway.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.