Hurricane Francine heads for Louisiana, battering the state with rain and wind By Reuters

By Ned Randolph

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Hurricane Francine barreled into southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and Alabama on Thursday, lashing the region with heavy rain and strong winds while threatening the Gulf Coast with dangerous flooding and power outages.

It weakened from a Category 2 hurricane to a tropical depression as it moved northeast, but still had winds of 35 mph (55 km/h) and threatened areas with dangerous storm surge Thursday morning, it said National Hurricane Center in an advisory.

About 6.6 million people were under a tropical storm warning issued by the National Weather Service as rain of up to two inches per hour was expected in the area Thursday morning. In all, some places could see up to 10 inches of rain before the storm abates, the service said.

It was expected to weaken further, becoming a post-tropical cyclone later in the day, the center added.

The storm left about 450,000 homes and businesses without power, and dozens of people had to be rescued from floodwaters in the tri-state region.

Just south of New Orleans in Lafourche Parish, more than two dozen people, including small children, were rescued from rising floodwaters Wednesday night, the local sheriff’s office said online.

New Orleans’ iconic French Quarter, known for its touristy bars and restaurants, was shut down Wednesday with a notable police presence and very few pedestrians.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and US President Joe Biden have each declared states of emergency in anticipation of the storm, freeing up emergency management resources and potential financial aid in the event of severe damage.