Hurricane Francine brings floods and power cuts to Louisiana

• Hurricane Francine brings floods and power cuts to Louisiana
• The storm struck as a Category 2 hurricane and has since weakened to a tropical storm
• Storm expected to keep weakening but could bring tornadoes

Hurricane Francine brings floods and power cuts to Louisiana

Hurricane Francine has left hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents without power and caused severe flooding after making landfall on the state’s coast before moving inland. 

The storm struck Morgan City on Wednesday at 5:00 PM local time (23:00 GMT) as a Category 2 hurricane, with winds reaching 100 mph (155 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). 

A flash flood emergency was declared in New Orleans after the storm dumped 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) of rain on the city. 

Although Francine has since weakened to a tropical storm, it continued to bring winds up to 70 mph as it moved northwest of New Orleans, the NHC reported late Wednesday.

Both Louisiana and Mississippi declared states of emergency, urging residents to take shelter and prepare for the storm’s impact. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry advised locals to “stay off the roads, stay home, and stay put” during a Wednesday press briefing.

While the storm is expected to weaken rapidly as it moves further inland, forecasters warned of up to 8 inches (20 cm) of rainfall, possible tornadoes, and damaging winds across central and eastern Louisiana.

As of Wednesday night, over 330,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana were without power, according to Poweroutages.us.