Author: Sarah Klein
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Francine hurtled toward southern Louisiana as a hurricane late Tuesday, strengthening over extremely warm Gulf waters as those who might be harmed rushed to complete storm preparations work, filling sandbags, buying gas and stocking up on essentials.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry warned at noon that residents, especially those in south Louisiana, have 24 hours to “do their best” as Tropical Storm Francine remains in the Prepare”.
The newly formed Category 1 hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), and forecasters warn it is expected to make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon or evening, bringing potentially life-threatening storms. Surges and damaging winds – possibly even a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds of 96 to 110 mph (155 to 175 kph).
Before the storm, New Orleans resident Roxanne Riley, 42, bought water, snacks and other food from Walmart and said she planned to stay at her family's home in the Highlands to avoid flooding. But if things get worse, she's ready to evacuate.
“Every time a storm comes, it's very frustrating,” Riley said. “I'll make sure my car is ready to go in case I need to go by tomorrow. I'll keep checking to see what it looks like.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in a report that as of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, Francine was centered about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and was moving at 10 mph (17 km/h) moving northeastward.
Hurricane warnings are in effect along the Louisiana coast from Cameron east to Grand Island, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of New Orleans, according to the center. Storm surge warnings extend from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Alabama-Florida border.
Landry said once Francine makes landfall, residents should stay put rather than risk taking to the roads, which could prevent first responders or utility crews from repairing power lines.
Unseasonably warm late-summer waters in the Gulf of Mexico helped Francine achieve hurricane status Tuesday night.
Brian McNoldy, a senior researcher at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Oceanic, Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, said the water temperature where Francine was located was about 87 degrees (31 degrees Celsius).
“The average ocean heat content across the entire Gulf is by far the highest ever recorded,” McNoldy wrote on his blog.
During the day, cars and trucks line up in downtown New Orleans to collect sandbags from the parking lot of the local YMCA. CEO Erika Mann said Tuesday that volunteers had distributed 1,000 bags of sand late Tuesday.
“I love that these community members are stepping up,” Mann said. “What we're doing in New Orleans is a beautiful effort, we're resilient and we come together to help when we need each other.”
One resident who picked up sandbags was Wayne Grant, 33, who moved to New Orleans last year and was nervous about what might be the city's first hurricane. The low-lying rental apartment he shared with his partner had already flooded during a storm the year before, and he wasn't taking any chances this time.
“It was like a punch in the face and we've been trying to keep an eye on the weather ever since,” Grant said. “We have a huge investment in this place even though it's not ours.”
More than three years after Hurricane Ida destroyed his home in the Dulac community of Terrebonne Parish in coastal Louisiana, and about a month after he finished rebuilding, Coy Welding is working on another Prepare for a hurricane.
“We had to tear the whole house down,” he recalled in a phone interview, rattling off a memorized list of jobs that included a new roof and new windows.
Welding, 55, is strongly considering moving further inland, away from the home where he makes a living in nearby Bayou Grand Caillou. After rebuilding, he said he would stay.
“As long as I can do it. Things are getting tougher, though,” he said. He was heading north to ride with his daughter in Thibodaux, about 50 minutes away. “I don't want to go too far so I can come back and look at my house.”
Landry said the Louisiana National Guard is deploying to parishes that may be affected by Francine. They are equipped with food, water, nearly 400 high-water vehicles, about 100 boats and 50 helicopters to prepare for the storm, including possible search and rescue operations.
Francine is the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Brad Reinhart, senior hurricane specialist at the hurricane center, said there is a risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds.
Rinehart said 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain could fall across much of Louisiana and Mississippi by Friday morning, with localized amounts of up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) possible. Heavy rainfall can also cause severe flash and urban flooding.
Francine took aim at Louisiana's coastline, which has yet to fully recover since Hurricanes Laura and Delta devastated Lake Charles in 2020 and Hurricane Ida a year later. A 22-story Lake Charles building that has become a symbol of storm damage imploded over the weekend after sitting vacant for nearly four years, with shattered windows covered in tattered tarps.
Forecasters said Francine's storm surge could be as high as 10 feet (3 meters) along the Louisiana coast from Cameron to Port Fourchon and into Vermillion Bay.
“This could create severe, dangerous, life-threatening flooding,” said Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan, adding that it could also push “dangerous, damaging winds far inland.” place”.
He said the landfall was likely somewhere between Sabine Pass on the Texas-Louisiana line and Morgan City, Louisiana, about 220 miles (350 kilometers) to the east.
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Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida, Kevin McGill and Jack Brooker in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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