Hurricane Francine was slowly moving away from the Texas coast and moving across the sea towards Louisiana in the southeastern United States on Tuesday, where several towns have evacuated in anticipation of the expected landfall on Wednesday night.
Francine was located about 300 km east of the mouth of the Rio Grande in Texas, moving northeast over the Gulf of Mexico, and “moving toward the Louisiana coast. Life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds are expected to begin in Louisiana on Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a report issued around 05:00 GMT on Wednesday.
It is currently classified as a Category 1 hurricane – on a scale of 5 – with winds of 120 km/h and moving at a speed of 17 km/h, heading northeast.
After hitting the Louisiana coast, “the center is expected to move northward toward the Mississippi on Wednesday night and Thursday,” the NHC said.
Despite the expected strengthening on Wednesday, “Francine is likely to weaken rapidly after it moves inland,” he added.
The NHC has issued hurricane warnings for the Louisiana coast and the New Orleans metropolitan area, and is monitoring possible storm surges that could occur in parts of Mississippi, Alabama and even Florida. These areas could also be exposed to rain and tornadoes. The report has withdrawn warnings of possible risks for Texas.
In some jurisdictions known as parishes (equivalent to counties) along the Louisiana coast, mandatory evacuations were ordered and shelters were activated.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also announced at a press conference on Tuesday that backup shelters would be set up in nearby cities. He also said the National Guard was ready to respond.
According to local television images, New Orleans residents have been queuing at gas stations to fill up their vehicles or buying bottles of water at supermarkets since Monday afternoon.
“Due to saturated soils from recent rains, we expect a lot of trees to fall. We came into this storm with saturated soils,” Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said at a news conference Tuesday.
Joseph Simpson, in his 70s, was one of the first to arrive Tuesday at the shelter set up in the Plaquemines area of southeastern Louisiana. “I brought some snacks, my medicine and water,” he told local television station WDSU 6.
The channel showed several residents collecting sand in sacks to protect the entrances to their homes from possible flooding and rising waters, and volunteers working well into the night placing sandbags in vulnerable areas.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged “all residents and all of our visitors to take precautions and prepare for heavy rain, gusty winds and isolated tornado activity.”
“Wednesday and Thursday are going to be the days of greatest impact in our city and area and people should really consider staying home and off the roads,” Collin Arnold, director of Homeland Security for New Orleans, said Monday.
Part of the area that will be affected by Francine in Louisiana was impacted by the devastating hurricanes Katrina (2005), Laura (2020) and Ida (2021).
Francine is the sixth phenomenon of the 2024 Atlantic season, which runs from June to November.
Previously, in August, Hurricane Ernesto caused rain and power outages in Puerto Rico. Debby, Chris, Beryl and Alberto circulated beforehand.
Hurricane Debby hit the US East Coast as a hurricane, causing at least eight deaths, according to press reports.
In July, southeastern Texas, parts of Louisiana and the Ohio Valley were hit by Beryl, which reached Category 5 status as it moved through the Caribbean, although it later lost strength.
Authorities in the United States and Caribbean countries affected by Beryl reported at least 67 victims – mainly in Houston, Texas – directly or indirectly related to this hurricane.
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this year’s Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be hectic as rising ocean temperatures increase the intensity of hurricanes. Twenty-five storms are expected, of which 13 are expected to be hurricanes.
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