Francine unleashes flooding rainfall and knocks out power as it drives deeper into the South

By Dalia Faheid and Mary Gilbert, CNN

(CNN) — Francine is spreading dangerous conditions across the South Thursday after it slammed into Louisiana with extreme rainfall, life-threatening flooding and destructive winds.

• Serious flood threat from weakening Francine: Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 hurricane late Wednesday afternoon and weakened to a tropical depression Thursday morning as it tracked into the South. The wind risk is lessening, but the system will keep dropping flooding rainfall over the South, where more than 10 million people are under flood alerts. Up to 8 inches of rain could douse the region through Friday. A level 3 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall is in place for part of Alabama Thursday while a widespread level 2 of 4 risk stretches from Arkansas and Tennessee to southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. Flooding caused by rainfall has become the deadliest threat of tropical systems in the last decade. Storm surge flooding will continue in parts of eastern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi early Thursday.

• Flood emergency and water rescues in Louisiana: Francine brought more than a month’s worth of rain to New Orleans in a matter of hours. Between 6 and 8 inches of rain deluged the area and triggered a rare flash flood emergency — the most severe flood alert — Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy rain flooded roadways and cut off travel routes in other parishes. Deputies in Lafourche Parish sprang into action Wednesday night to rescue 26 residents trapped in flooded homes, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. At least 3 to 4 inches of rain soaked the area. Francine also churned water into homes in St. James Parish, officials said. And in Jefferson Parish, officials urged households to limit their water usage as the parish’s large and aging sewer system became overwhelmed by storm runoff.

• Hundreds of thousands without power: More than 400,000 homes and businesses are without power Thursday morning in Louisiana and Mississippi after Francine’s strong winds and heavy rain pummeled the region overnight, according to PowerOutage.us. Wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph pounded south-central and southeast Louisiana as Francine pushed through the state Wednesday evening. These winds downed trees and power lines in multiple parishes, including Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. James, and injured a state trooper who was struck by a tree while cleaning up downed trees near Gonzalez, Louisiana.

• Tornado threat shifts: Tornadoes are possible in parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast Thursday as Francine tracks deeper inland. More than 1.5 million people in southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle are under a tornado watch until 1 p.m. CDT Thursday. Multiple tornado warnings were issued early Thursday in parts of the Florida Panhandle.

• Francine disrupts flights, schools: Airlines canceled all flights out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Wednesday, and some additional cancellations were made for Thursday morning, according to a status update on the airport’s website. Several Louisiana universities and colleges – including Louisiana State University, Nunez Community College and Tulane University – closed their campuses or moved to remote classes this week.

Recovering from back-to-back hurricanes

Francine came as southern Louisiana is still recovering from powerful back-to-back hurricanes in recent years.

In 2020, Hurricane Laura ravaged Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana. The Category 4 storm’s ferocious winds flattened homes, toppled large vehicles, uprooted trees, left many residents without power and took at least six lives. Weeks later, Hurricane Delta left a trail of destruction in the area, followed by a deadly ice storm later that winter.

Just a year later, Category 4 Hurricane Ida threw southern Louisiana into a similar chaos — except it wreaked havoc on the more populated areas in and around New Orleans. Ida dumped more than 10 inches of rain across parts of the Gulf Coast and generated a storm surge as high as 14 feet.

Over the weekend, the 22-story Hertz Tower in Lake Charles was demolished after being empty for years due to irreparable damage from multiple hurricanes.

Terrebonne Parish resident Coy Verdin, 55, told the Associated Press it’s only been a month since he finished rebuilding his home after Hurricane Ida damaged it about three years ago. “We had to gut the whole house,” he said.

While he once considered moving farther inland, Verdin said he’s now there to stay. “As long as I can. It’s getting rough, though,” he said. He was going to ride out Francine with his daughter in Thibodaux, a city about 50 minutes away, but he said “I don’t want to go too far so I can come back to check on my house.”

Hurricanes Laura and Ida were tragic examples of how human-caused climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous, and they made lasting impressions on the state and left its residents and infrastructure vulnerable to repeat damage and farther away from recovery. Years later, some residents are still waiting on financial relief, while others are in legal battles with insurance companies.

Francine was the 12th hurricane to hit Louisiana since Katrina 19 years ago in 2005. That is more hurricanes than any other state as seen in that same timespan.

CNN’s Taylor Romine, Rachel Ramirez, Robert Shackelford, Elizabeth Wolfe, Taylor Ward, Sara Smart, Brandon Miller, Chris Boyette, Amanda Musa and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.

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