Hurricane Francine: After Louisiana, storm triggers flooding and gusty winds in the south

CNN
—

Francine caused dangerous conditions across the South on Thursday after the storm hit Louisiana with extreme rainfall, life-threatening flooding and damaging winds that left hundreds of thousands of people without power and sparked reports of flooded homes.

• Serious flood risk due to weakening of Francine: Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish late Wednesday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane and weakened to a tropical depression Thursday morning as it moved south, bringing flooding and triggering flood warnings for over 10 million people. By early Thursday, storm surge was a serious concern for parts of eastern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi. By Thursday afternoon, Francine had strengthened into a post-tropical cyclone. Although winds no longer pose a major threat, heavy rains will continue across the Southeast Friday. Up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain could inundate the region by Friday. As the storm slows, it will linger longer over the areas it passes through, increasing the risk of flooding. Flooding from rainfall has become the greatest threat from tropical systems over the past decade.

• Hundreds of buildings were reportedly flooded: Flooding was reported at 350 properties in Louisiana’s St. Charles Parish, a parish spokeswoman, Francesca Holt Blanchard, told CNN Thursday afternoon. “Our planning and zoning department is working with residents to confirm that flooding is occurring within the living spaces of the homes and not in a garage or carport,” Holt Blanchard said. In neighboring Jefferson Parish, more than 50 homes in the town of Kenner were flooded during the storm, according to a town spokesperson. At least eight buildings in nearby Lafourche Parish were damaged, the parish said in a statement, but authorities expect that number to rise as emergency crews assess the damage left behind.

• Flood emergency and water rescue in Louisiana: Francine brought rain to New Orleans in a matter of hours, as much as it normally receives in a month. According to the National Weather Service, 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) of rain inundated the region and triggered a rare flash flood Wednesday evening — the most severe flood warning. In other parishes, the heavy rain inundated roads and cut off travel. According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, deputies in Lafourche Parish responded Wednesday evening to rescue 26 residents trapped in flooded homes. At least 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters) of rain drenched the area. Francine also left homes in St. James Parish underwater, officials said. And in Jefferson Parish, officials urged households to limit their water use through Thursday evening because the parish’s large and aging sewer system was overwhelmed by the stormwater. Officials expect the system to be back up and running sometime Friday.

• Hundreds of thousands without electricity: Over 450,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana were without power as of Thursday morning, but power generators worked throughout the day to restore service. Nearly 150,000 people were still without power as of Thursday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Electricity customers in Mississippi and Alabama were also affected by outages as Francine’s high winds and heavy rain battered the region. Wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph swept across south-central and southeast Louisiana on Wednesday evening, knocking down trees and power lines in several parishes, including Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. James. A police officer cleaning up fallen trees near Gonzalez, Louisiana, suffered a minor injury after being struck by a tree.

• Parishes in Louisiana are gradually returning to normal operations: In several southern communities, government services will resume in the next few days after roads and debris are cleared and pumping systems to remove stormwater are checked. A spokesman for oil and gas company Chevron said they are currently conducting flyovers of their facilities and plan to send personnel to their production plants on Thursday afternoon.

• Francine’s last leg: Francine, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to clear rain across the Southeast on Friday and then dissipate completely over the weekend. Flooding still poses a significant threat in the region on Friday as the storm dumps more heavy rain. Flood warnings are in effect for about 8 million people in parts of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, the Weather Prediction Center said. The warnings expire Friday night and Saturday morning. The heaviest rainfall is expected in central Alabama on Friday, though 2 to 4 inches is possible in Arkansas, Kentucky and Georgia.

Miles Crawford was standing outside his home Wednesday night, watching Francine pound New Orleans with torrential rain and gusty winds, when he noticed the police activity.

A text message from Crawford’s brother alerted him that someone nearby had driven into rising waters. Crawford, a registered nurse at the University Medical Center New Orleans, did the only thing he could think of: act.

“I put my boots on and went out to see if they (local police) needed help,” Crawford told CNN.

He found police officers remotely examining a flooded vehicle. But it wasn’t empty – a person was trapped inside, and the water was already up to their necks. The emergency responders on the scene were aware of the danger posed by the flooded road, but Crawford took action despite being told it wasn’t safe.

“Something had to be done, and quickly,” Crawford said.

“I made a game decision,” Crawford continued. “I went home and got a hammer.”

A passerby rushes into the floodwaters of Hurricane Francine to help a man trapped in his truck

Crawford returned into the chest-high floodwater and used the hammer to smash a window in the rear of the vehicle. The occupant was able to get up from the front seat and escape through the back.

After a brief stumble in chest-deep floodwater, Crawford and the person he rescued navigated to safety without a second thought.

Crawford attributed his fearlessness and drive to help others to his training at University Medical Center.

“We’re used to acting quickly to save lives,” Crawford said. “Anyone behind those doors would have done the same thing. I was just in the right place at the right time.”

CNN’s Michael Yoshida, Taylor Romine, Rachel Ramirez, Robert Shackelford, Elizabeth Wolfe, Taylor Ward, Sara Smart, Brandon Miller, Chris Boyette, Amanda Musa, Robert Shackelford and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.