New Orleans Prepares for Hurricane Francine Impact

A trailer park by Lake Palourde as Tropical Storm Francine intensifies.

On Wednesday, Hurricane Francine posed a significant threat to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, stretching eastward to the Alabama and Florida border. This led to a shutdown of a quarter of oil and gas production in the Gulf, as multiple parishes in Louisiana issued evacuation orders.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm was approximately 245 miles (395 km) southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, moving northeast with sustained winds of 90 mph. At that point, Francine was classified as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued a warning early Wednesday morning, alerting the public that conditions were expected to worsen throughout the day. Coastal areas were at risk of a storm surge reaching 9 feet in height.

"Make sure you have all preparations rushed to completion ASAP!," the service posted on X. "Then, prepare to hunker down & shelter in place through the overnight hours."

Storm surge watches and warnings were in effect for the entire Gulf coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Composite satellite image shows Tropical Storm Francine intensifying before landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm's anticipated landfall west of New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. He warned residents of the likelihood of torrential rain, strong winds, and potential tornadoes.

President Joe Biden also declared a federal state of emergency for Louisiana, enabling faster response and relief efforts in anticipation of the hurricane's impact.

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Several Louisiana parishes located near the Gulf Coast issued mandatory evacuation orders, and the state's transportation department provided evacuation maps. Meanwhile, the city of New Orleans prepared by distributing sandbags at five locations.

The National Hurricane Center predicted that Francine could strengthen to a Category 2 storm, with winds reaching between 96 to 110 mph (154 to 177 kph) before weakening once it made landfall.

The storm was forecast to produce rainfall ranging from 4 inches (10 cm) to 8 inches, with localized totals up to 12 inches across the central and eastern Gulf Coast by Thursday night, according to the weather service.

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As Francine advanced northeast parallel to the Texas coast, oil and gas companies evacuated many offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) reported that about 25% of the region’s energy production was temporarily shut down as a result.

The storm also threatened liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities in the area, which accounts for approximately 15% of U.S. oil production and 2% of the country’s natural gas output.

For Louisiana, any significant storm stirs memories of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans and surrounding regions in 2005. Katrina claimed nearly 1,400 lives and caused $125 billion in damage, according to a 2023 report by the National Hurricane Center.