'Extreme Caution' Urged In Louisiana, Hundreds Of Thousands Still Without Power After Francine

Residents in southern Louisiana are on a long road to clean up Friday after Francine walloped the region with 100 mph winds, rain and storm surge flooding.

More than 124,000 homes and businesses remained without power Friday morning in Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.us. The storm's impacts also spread to Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and beyond.

Snapped tree limbs, downed power lines and flooded roads were especially a problem in Louisiana, where Francine came ashore Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane.

Damage a​ssessments were ongoing from New Orleans to the southernmost parishes of the state.

H​ere are our live updates as the storm's trek continued Thursday:

(​5:52 p.m. ET) Governor: No Reports Of Deaths Or Injuries

“The human spirit is defined by its resiliency, and resiliency is what defines Louisiana,” Gov. Jeff Landry said at a news conference. “Certainly there are times and situations that try us, but it is also when we in this state are at our very best.”

(​5:26 p.m. ET) Power Outages Drop But Hundreds Of Thousands Are Still In The Dark

P​ower outages in Louisiana are down to about 250,000 from a peak of nearly 400,000 this morning.

E​ntergy Louisiana, the state's largest power company, said in an update this afternoon crews were working to assess damage and provide time estimates for outages that haven't yet been restored.

H​ere's a look at the current numbers, according to PowerOutage.us

-​Metro New Orleans is reporting 41,811 outages, or about 22% of all electric accounts.

-​About 93% of all customers in Terrebonne Parish, where Francine made landfall, are without power.

-​Alabama is reporting 34,818 outages.

-​Mississippi is showing 12,324 outages.

(​5:11 p.m. ET) Roads Turned To Rivers In Southern Louisiana

Timelapse video from Cocodrie, Louisiana, shows the powerful combination of wind and water as Francine made landfall. The storm, with sustained winds around 100 mph, drove more than 5 feet of storm surge in Cocodrie, a small rural fishing village about 55 miles southwest of New Orleans.

S​ee it all play out here.

(​4:41 p.m. ET) ER Nurse Saves Driver Trapped In Head-High Water

F​rom The Associated Press:

New Orleans off-duty emergency room nurse Miles Crawford didn't hesitate when he saw a pickup truck surrounded by swirling floodwaters. Crawford grabbed a hammer and rushed to the underpass in his neighborhood where the truck - and its driver inside - were stuck.

The truck was angled down in deeper water, already up to the driver's head.

C​rawford told him to move to the back of the truck's cab. Then Crawford used the hammer to smash the window and pull the man out.

T​he truck was fully submerged minutes later.

“It’s just second nature, I guess, being a nurse, you just go in and get it done, right?” Crawford said. “I just had to get him out of there.”

(4:11 p.m. ET) Police Chief: Help Is On The Way To Morgan City, Louisiana

Chief Chad Adams says Morgan City has requested federal assistance including food, water and tarps that will hopefully arrive this evening or tomorrow.

“I’d like to really thank everybody in Morgan City for really hunkering down and abiding by the curfew,” Adams said in an update about 20 minutes ago on social media.

A dusk to dawn curfew is in place until power is restored, but it’s not clear when that might be. Adams said repairing a main line to the city would restore about 40% to 50% of outages.

He asked residents to remember to treat flashing red lights as a four way stop.

“We don’t want to have to start working crashes,” Adams said. “Just take your time going around the city. It’s not that big of a rush.”

(​3:34 p.m. ET) What's Next In The Atlantic?

F​rom weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

First, we have a tiny low-pressure area that could bring some showers and thunderstorms to the Leeward Islands Friday or Saturday, but has a low chance of developing due to dry air.

Low pressure could form along a stationary front off the Southeast coast this weekend, and could become a short-lived depression or at most storm early next week. Regardless of what jargon meteorologists attach to it, locally heavy showers, high surf, rip currents and possibly coastal flooding is on tap from northeast Florida to at least the Virginia Tidewater next week.

Finally, what should soon become Tropical Storm Gordon is thousands of miles away over the eastern Atlantic Ocean and won't threaten land any time soon, if ever.

(​3:14 p.m. ET) Who Knows What's In That Water

T​he Weather Channel's Justin Michaels pointed out people playing in waist-deep water on a street in Reserve, Louisiana. That's not advised.

The scene prompted Michaels to post on social media: "This is a good reminder NOT to swim, wade, play or drive in floodwaters where you’ll find fuels, chemicals, sewage, carcasses, and living things like alligators, poisonous snakes and fire ants looking for something to hold onto."

(2:10 p.m. ET) F​rancine Makes Swimming Dangerous In Florida Panhandle

D​ouble red flags are flying along the coast in Bay County, Florida, including Pensacola Beach, as Francine churns up the surf. That means the water is closed to the public.

(​1:35 p.m. ET) Damage Extends Beyond Louisiana

A​ photo shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows a parked car crushed by a fallen tree in Leverett, Mississippi. The community is about 100 miles north of Jackson.

(​1:20 p.m. ET) Francine A 'Speed Bump' Compared To Ida

Several homes are damaged and about 40 utility poles need to be replaced in Lafourche Parish, Sheriff Craig Webre told The Weather Channel's Justin Michaels. Assessments are ongoing.

"You have to recall though, and put in perspective, we were ground zero for Hurricane Ida, that cataclysmic storm that decimated Lafourche Parish. Probably 90% of the homes had to have roofs if they still existed, 4,000 utility poles had to be replaced," Webre said. "So compared to that, this is maybe a speed bump."

H​e added that getting electricity restored is the biggest challenge. Power remains out out for about 85% of the parish's utility customers, according to PowerOutage.com.

A​bout 55 people are in a shelter in the parish, which has a population of about 95,000 and sits to the southwest of New Orleans.

S​ome there are still living in trailers after their homes were destroyed by Ida in 2021.

"So yes, it is kind of a double whammy," Webre said.

S​ome there are still living in trailers after their homes were destroyed by Ida in 2021.

"So yes, it is kind of a double whammy," Webre said.

(12:52 p.m. ET) W​orld Chef Kitchen Serving Meals

T​he nonprofit was founded by famed Spanish chef Jose Andres after a devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Now, the group is often among the first to respond to disasters.

F​ree meals are available in Terrebonne Parish at Barry P. Bonvillain Civic Center starting at 1 p.m. local time today. There will 1,000 hot meals and 1,000 cold meals available, according to an announcement from parish government.

T​his is the third hurricane World Chef Kitchen has responded to this year.

(12:28 p.m. ET) Photos Show Francine’s Wrath

Photos show the mess Francine left behind in Louisiana, including damaged buildings, downed trees and scattered debris. You can see the photos here, or click through the slideshow below.

(​11:50 a.m. ET) Cleanup Underway In New Orleans

P​hotos posted by a city councilmember show trees down and cleanup underway in New Orleans.

(​11:31 a.m. ET) Here's Where Power Outages Stand

-​Louisiana is reporting 347,815 power outages.

-​94% of electric customers are without power in Terrebonne Parish, where Francine made landfall.

-​85% of customers are experiencing outages in neighboring Lafourche Parish.

-​Mississippi is reporting 30,041 outages.

-​Alabama has 26,239.

(​11:06 a.m. ET) 'Extreme Caution' Urged In St. James Parish

Streets and roads remain impassable in parts of southern Louisiana, including St. James Parish where Sheriff Claude Louis Jr. is asking residents to use extreme caution if venturing out.

In addition to flooding, streets are also blocked by d​owned trees, power lines and utility poles.

S​t. James Parish is west of New Orleans.

(​10:51 a.m. ET) Tropical Depression Francine Still A Threat

From weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

We have some flash flood warnings out in a few spots, parts of Mississippi and northeast Louisiana, kind of in what was formerly the eyewall of Francine.

Interestingly enough, it’s falling over an area that had its record driest August - in Mississippi - but had been soaked with rain last week.

Flash flooding is also possible in the Florida Panhandle, and we still have a threat for locally heavy rain not just today, but also into Saturday in the Tennessee Valley from what will be Francine's remnant.

Tornadoes continue to be a threat in some of those areas as well into Friday.

(​10:30 a.m. ET) Francine From Space

I​mages from a NOAA satellite captured Francine bearing down on the Louisiana coast before landfall yesterday.

Y​ou can also see the satellite view in this video.

(9:50 a.m. ET) Cleanup Underway In Morgan City

Photos from Morgan City, Louisiana, near Francine’s landfall show downed trees, damaged property and broken street signs. There were also reports of roofs ripping off of homes and water damage to homes.

City and state officials will assess the damage in affected areas Thursday and begin clearing roads and making repairs.

(9:37 a.m. ET) Francine Loses Steam As It Moves Inland

Francine became a tropical depression Thursday morning and will continue to weaken as the storm moves over land. Conditions began to improve in southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi as the storm moved north.

The storm is expected to linger over the Tennessee Valley and the Southeast, bringing several days of heavy rain and the potential for flash flooding. Learn more from our forecast.

(​9:00 a.m. ET) Several Families Rescued In Lafourche Parish

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre confirmed that deputies rescued a total of 26 residents, including small children, Wednesday as water trapped families in the Thibodaux area.

Many of the rescues occurred at housing units on Lasseigne Road. The area had a curfew in place until 10 a.m. Thursday.

(7:55 a.m. ET) Woman Rescued From Flooded Car In New Orleans

Storm chasers rescued a woman whose car was being overtaken by floodwaters on a New Orleans road. The car was stuck in water not far from her home and the good samaritans helped her escape her vehicle. Watch the rescue here.

(7:45 a.m. ET) Family Rescued From Home Knocked Onto Gas Meter

A family was rescued from a home in Morgan City, Louisiana, Wednesday, where a tree knocked a home off its foundation and onto a gas meter. Gas was spewing from the meter when the fire department made it to the scene.

Firefighters helped remove a couple and two children from the home and turned off the gas.

(7:30 a.m. ET) Multiple Drainage Canals Overflowed Dangerously In Metairie

Flooding was seen in Metairie, where several drainage canals were overtopped. This caused impassable road flooding in some areas of the suburb in Jefferson Parish just outside New Orleans.

Jefferson Parish Councilman Scott Walker told WDSU that the heavy rain overwhelmed pumps meant to help drain water from the streets. The parish received over eight inches of rain Friday. Officials warned motorists to avoid inundated areas, especially roads adjacent to canals.

(7:15 a.m. ET) How Power Outages Turn Deadly

Highs in New Orleans and across parts of southern Louisiana are forecast to be between 86 and 90 degrees through the weekend, with some nighttime lows staying in the 70s.

That kind of heat combined with widespread power outages is an especially dangerous combination.

Older people are at highest risk. At least a dozen residents of nursing homes and senior apartments in Louisiana died in the wake of power outages and heat after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana in 2021.

Eight people in the state died of carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators, another deadly aspect of post-storm power outages.

How To Operate A Generator Safely

Some tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

-Never operate a portable generator inside or within 20 feet of any enclosed space, to include homes, basements, garages, carports, and porches.

-Close windows and seal off all other openings that exhaust could enter, such as soffit vents, dryer vents, and exhaust fan vents.

-Maintain generators properly and operate only according to manufacturer’s instructions.

-Some generators have a carbon monoxide shut-off feature that helps make them safer to use..

-Always have working fire alarms and CO alarms properly installed on every level of your home.

(6:43 a.m. ET) Airport Delays Continue

Dozens of flights are canceled or delayed today at airports in New Orleans and Houston after larger backups yesterday, according to flightaware.com.

Travelers are advised to check with their airline before heading to their flight.

All flights were canceled yesterday afternoon at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The airport is posting updates on its website

(6:31 a.m. ET) Louisiana State Police Trooper Injured

A Louisiana State Police Trooper was injured by a falling tree while cleaning debris from the storm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, WGNO reported. The trooper, along with others from Troop A were trying to remove several downed trees from I-10 eastbound Wednesday evening.

The trooper was transported to a local hospital and was described as having “minor injuries.”

(5:58 a.m. ET) Classes Canceled In Several Districts And At Universities

Schools and offices were closed in Jackson Public School District and Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District on Thursday due to Francine’s threats and impacts. New Orleans public schools dismissed school early on Tuesday and remained closed Wednesday and Thursday. The district will evaluate any damage Thursday and make a decision about reopening Friday.

Mississippi State University canceled all in-person classes for Thursday and The University of Southern Mississippi will remain closed until noon Thursday. Several other parishes, districts and universities canceled classes as well.

(5:30 a.m. ET) Power Outages Top 390,000 In Louisiana

More than 390,000 customers were without power early Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. In Mississippi, power outages were beyond 38,000.

The power outages were impacting sewer pump stations in New Orleans, and residents were urged to conserve water as workers aimed to bring systems back to full capacity.

Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.