Mississippi Coast responders brace for downed trees, flooding & more hazards from Francine

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Mississippi Coast residents are urged to head home and stay off the roads until Hurricane Francine passes Thursday morning, with tropical storm-force winds and rain expected to clear out around sunrise.

“I would encourage people not to downplay this,” Harrison County Emergency Management Director Matt Stratton said after a meeting Wednesday afternoon packed with about 75 first responders, and government and business representatives. It was the county’s last hurricane meeting before Francine moves ashore Wednesday evening in Louisiana.

Stratton, his staff and others covered preparations for Francine and its aftermath.

The Mississippi Coast is under tropical storm and storm-surge warnings , a flash-flood warning and a tornado watch, with Francine expected to pound ashore this evening.

South Mississippi can expect storm surge of up to 6 feet, with winds of 39-58 mph and higher gusts. Rainfall will total 4 to 8 inches, with up to 12 inches in some places.

Key points on Francine

• No plans are in place for mandatory closing of U.S. 90, the beach highway that traverses the county, even though up to 6 feet of storm surge is expected along the coastline. A Mississippi Department of Transportation representative later told the Sun Herald that MDOT will close the highway if it becomes impassable from beach sand and/or flooding.
• County road crews hope residents who can will stay home after sunrise will do so, giving them a chance to clear any debris or downed trees before traffic gets heavy.
• Gulfport has announced a curfew , with a Biloxi representative saying that city had no plans for one. Harrison County also has not announced any curfews.
• Rivers will begin flooding Wednesday night, when the Biloxi River is expected to be above flood stage, followed by the Tchoutacabouffa River on Thursday morning and the Wolf River Friday afternoon.
• Ambulance crews could be unable to run if winds hit 35 mph sustained and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources won’t be on the water for rescue in winds of 45 mph or higher.
• The Bayou Portage Bridge on Henderson Avenue in Pass Christian closed before the storm and will remain closed to vehicles because of a mechanical failure. The bridge can be lifted for marine traffic once the storm passes. Also, Harrison County has road closures listed here.
• The county is housing 56 people in four shelters, with buses arriving at those shelters at 8 a.m. Thursday to give people rides home or elsewhere.
• Schools are beginning to announce closures, including the Harrison County School District, while Pass Christian and Long Beach are still debating what they’ll do.

At meeting’s end, Harrison County Supervisor Dan Cuevas stood and said, “Be safe.”

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