Louisiana leaders want people to stay home as Hurricane Francine nears landfall

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Louisiana leaders want residents to stay home as Hurricane Francine will be making landfall on the state’s coast Wednesday afternoon.

Gov. Jeff Landry and other state leaders had a Unified Command Group meeting Wednesday morning before holding a news conference to update residents.

GOHSEP Director Jacques Thibodeaux said the opportunity for evacuation “has now passed” as the storm’s landfall nears the state. He said it’s time to “hunker down” in place to stay safe.

“It’s time to go ahead and sit down and take your place and ride out this storm,” said state climatologist Jay Grymes. “The little bit of good news here is that the storm should move through relatively quickly. Most of the impacts should be out of the state by or soon after midnight and we’re also looking at a little bit of a reduction in the rainfall totals with the storm system as well.”

Four roads are closed due to rising water or closing floodgates, according to Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development Secretary Joe Donahue. People should call 511 or visit 511la.org for the latest about road closures.

Landry said residents are urged to stay off the roads as agencies work to respond after the storm.

President Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration for Louisiana on Tuesday night. FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson said the agency is working closely with the state and GOHSEP for post-storm assistance.

“This federal assistance will be pivotal to save lives and property. As Hurricane Francine approaches Louisiana, I appreciate President Biden quickly approving this request,” said Landry in a statement Tuesday.

The Get a Game Plan app and website are available for information about storm preparedness, including an emergency supply checklist, an evacuation route map and tips for making a plan for families and businesses.