Weather
A large number of residents were hurrying to obtain supplies as the storm approached
Louisiana Prepares for Hurricane Francine to Make Landfall. Forecasters warned that cities along the Louisiana coast could see heavy rainfall and a “dangerous” storm surge.
Updated 2024-Oct-06 21:00
Another man watches from the ground. A man on a ladder boards up windows with plywood.
He was able to deal with a tropical storm. But it s not a hurricane Mr. Robinson cautioned expressing skepticism towards the forecasts.
You can never foresee what God will do he added. Reporting from Louisiana was contributed by Marie Elizabeth Oliver Katy Reckdahl and Sara Sneath.
Preparations were underway in the Gulf of Mexico as well. On Monday Shell announced the precautionary evacuation of nonessential staff from two offshore facilities named Enchilada Salsa and Auger close to the Louisiana coast.
The oil company announced the halt of drilling at Perdido and Whale facilities. The Port of New Orleans declared closure of its terminal on Wednesday to reopen on Thursday after assessing damage.
In Baton Rouge Clay Reeves advised residents to prepare for the upcoming busy end of hurricane season calling it a tuneup run.
We re in for a really lengthy season. 47 year old Jason Foster spent the afternoon on Tuesday ensuring his houseboat in Pecan Island located near the southern central coast of Louisiana was safe.
Local officials across southern Louisiana were clearing storm drains and distributing sandbags to prepare for Hurricane Francine which was churning in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.
Forecasters said that the storm was expected to make landfall on Wednesday bringing the potential for heavy rainfall and a dangerous storm surge.
Residents across the region were being urged to make their own preparations as the storm reached hurricane strength a day after forming in the Gulf.
Many were buying supplies and bracing for the storm surge on Monday and Tuesday. Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana said at a news conference on Tuesday that agencies across the state were working to prepare by positioning resources where they could be needed.
We want everybody to be safe Governor Landry said. Once you have decided where you are going to be at the time that the storm comes onshore you want to stay there.
Governor Landry declared a state of emergency on Monday to make resources available to parishes the equivalent of counties in other states ahead of the storm.
On Monday Sharon Weston Broome the mayor president of the city of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish said at a news conference in Baton Rouge that residents in the area should prepare immediately.
It’s crucial that all of us take this storm very seriously she said. At a news conference in New Orleans on Monday city officials asked residents to prepare enough essential supplies to last through Thursday or Friday.
Sandbags will also be made available to residents Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans said. Look out for one another Ms.Cantrell said.
After experiencing severe hurricanes in New Iberia Louisiana he mentioned not being worried about Francine.
He commented that the main focus was deciding what to cook for the next two days. In New Orleans Marcus Robinson aged 47 was considering staying in the city or moving to Mississippi where he had property.
Robinson mentioned that he was left emotionally wounded following his survival of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.The hurricane resulted in the deaths of over 1 800 individuals submerged entire communities and caused extensive destruction throughout New Orleans.
Stacy Gilmore spokesperson for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East stated that 13 floodgates.
