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    • Southeast Louisiana wakes up to flooded homes, widespread power outages and damage
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    Southeast Louisiana wakes up to flooded homes, widespread power outages and damage

    Vaseline Posted on

    NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Francine was downgraded to a tropical depression Thursday after hitting Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and flooding neighborhoods in the southeastern parishes.

    After making landfall in Terrebonne Parish with sustained winds of 100 mph, the storm battered the region before weakening as it moved toward New Orleans and the North Shore.

    Power outages spread quickly, and more than 360,000 people were still without power Thursday morning. Entergy officials said they were assessing the damage and restoration times were not yet known.

    • View Entergy’s power outages here – all other providers on poweroutage.us

    Flooding was reported in several parishes, with Francine dropping more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in some places.

    Cynthia Lee Sheng, president of Jefferson Parish, says the storm overwhelmed pumps and caused canals in Kenner and Metairie to overflow. Although two pump stations experienced a loss of capacity overnight, Lee Sheng says the 9 inches of rain Francine dumped would have overwhelmed the system even at full capacity. Floodwaters reportedly flooded buildings and homes in Kenner and Bridge City.

    St. Charles Parish President Matt Jewell says Francine has pumped water into 240 homes. Those affected are asked to call the EOC at 985-783-5050.

    St. John the Baptist Parish saw 5-7 inches of rain, leading to significant street and local flooding. Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said several buildings took on water, though she did not have an exact count.

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    Drenching rains caused street flooding in Mid-City New Orleans. The Sewerage and Water Board says the drainage system was affected by power outages, delaying flood relief efforts on the streets.

    The waning storm appeared to have largely spared the north coast communities in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Washington parishes, but crews were clearing downed trees and power lines from roads.

    Damage assessments were slow in the hard-hit parishes of Terrebonne and Lafourche, where mandatory evacuations and curfews were put in place ahead of the storm. At least one building in Houma, a flea market, was destroyed.

    Residents of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Charles parishes were asked to limit their water usage to prevent sewer backups.

    Governor Jeff Landry will be flown by helicopter to St. Mary Parish Thursday afternoon to inspect the worst of the damage. He will fly over St. Mary Parish on his way to Houma, where he is expected to spend 90 minutes on the ground inspecting the storm’s damage.

    Major General Thomas Friloux of the Louisiana National Guard said about 2,500 members will be helping with rescue and relief efforts. They are positioning themselves in southeast and south-central Louisiana to help respond to the storm.

    The watch has 58 boats, 101 high-water vehicles and 61 aircraft ready to deploy after the storm passes, and has another 270 vehicles in reserve if needed, Friloux said.

    The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has 150 law enforcement officers with trucks and boats on standby to help with the hurricane, Secretary Madison Sheahan said. More than 400 Louisiana State Police officers are also available to assist, according to Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges.

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