Hurricane Francine leaves 350,000 Louisianans without power

(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Louisiana officials are now in the early stages of recovery from Hurricane Francine, which hit the central Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening, bringing heavy rainfall, power outages and significant flooding across the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Gov. Jeff Landry and U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., provided an update on the storm's aftermath during a news conference on Thursday, following a morning spent with the Unified Command Group to assess damage and coordinate recovery efforts. Despite widespread flooding and power outages, no fatalities have been reported. One police officer was injured while removing a downed tree, according to Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux.

"The best-laid plans never survive," Landry said, acknowledging that rainfall in New Orleans far exceeded expectations. "At the peak, we had over 450,000 people without power, and we're down to about 350,000 now. We urge everyone to stay off the roads so we can restore utilities as quickly as possible."

Before the storm, officials had stressed preparedness. Landry emphasized close coordination with local, state, and federal partners in managing the response to the storm.

"The closer and tighter you tether the local, state, and federal partners together, the better the response," he said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

The governor had also encouraged residents to download the "Get a Game Plan" app to receive real-time updates on evacuation orders, shelter locations, and power restoration efforts.

As Hurricane Francine approached, forecasters had predicted a Category 2 hurricane making landfall in Vermilion Bay. Fortunately, officials reported that the storm's impact on power infrastructure was less severe than past storms.

Brandon Frey, the executive secretary of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, noted that although there were widespread outages, LPSC is seeing less than half the number of outages compared to hurricanes like Gustav and Isaac.

Frey added that much of the power loss stemmed from downed vegetation rather than structural damage to transmission lines. Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans were among the hardest hit, with a peak of over 300,000 customers without power, but efforts to restore electricity are progressing.

Kennedy expressed gratitude to both state and federal agencies, including FEMA, for their swift response.

"There's always something to be grateful for, but that's cold comfort for the people who have sustained damage," Kennedy said. "We'll get the money we deserve from the federal government to help us with infrastructure repairs, personal assistance, and mitigation grants."

State climatologist Jay Grimes explained that the storm's heavy rainfall, particularly in New Orleans and surrounding areas, was slightly worse than anticipated due to an eastward shift in Francine's track and a slower-than-expected movement.

Rainfall totals reached five to eight inches in New Orleans, with some areas north of the city seeing double-digit figures. Flooding remains a concern, though officials are optimistic that lakes will drain as winds shift.

As recovery efforts ramp up, the Louisiana National Guard has been deployed across the hardest-hit regions, and state police have urged residents to stay home until roads can be cleared.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, highlighted the importance of investments in Louisiana's Resilient Communities Infrastructure Program, which worked mitigate some of the damage.

With storm recovery underway, officials remain focused on restoring power, clearing debris and evaluating the full extent of the damage.

Residents are urged to stay updated through official channels and follow instructions from local authorities as cleanup operations continue.