MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) — Hurricane Francine barreled toward Louisiana on Wednesday as residents made last-minute trips to stock up on supplies and forecasters warned of potentially deadly storm surge, widespread flooding and destructive winds on the northern U.S. Gulf coast.
In Morgan City, gas stations had already put plywood on the windows and moved trash cans inside, with a few pumps still serving the trickle of cars passing through shortly after dawn.
Retired boat captain Pat Simon, 75, and his wife, Ruth, had loaded all their possessions in garbage bags and tied them down in the back of a rented U-Haul pickup truck as they evacuated their home near the banks of the Atchafalaya River near Morgan City.
Hurricane season typically peaks around this time of year, but Pat Simon wasn’t overly concerned about Francine.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that bad, like some of the other ones like Ida and Katrina,” he said. “I mean, we’ve had some bad ones.”
Morgan City, home to around 11,500 people, sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River in south Louisiana and is surrounded by lakes and marsh. It’s described on the city’s website as “gateway to the Gulf of Mexico for the shrimping and oilfield industries.”
The owner of a Morgan City Chevron station, Larry Doiron, said he had enough gas to stay open through the storm.
“We’re the only place out here for the sheriff’s department, the fire department. We have gas. All the locals depend on us,” he said. “We’re going to try and stay on top of it and hopefully take care of everybody.
Francine drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters to jump from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday night. The National Hurricane Center said Francine might reach Category 2 strength with winds of 96 to 110 mph before crashing into a fragile coastal region that hasn’t fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021.
When Francine was still a tropical storm, Gov. Jeff Landry warned residents around south Louisiana and in the heavily populated state capital of Baton Rouge and nearby New Orleans — should “batten down all the hatches” and finish last preparations. Once Francine makes landfall, Landry said, residents should stay in place rather than venture into waterlogged roads and risk blocking first responders or utility crews working to repair power lines.
The governor said the Louisiana National Guard was being sent to parishes that could be impacted by Francine. They have with food, water, nearly 400 high-water vehicles, about 100 boats and 50 helicopters to respond to the storm, including possible search-and-rescue operations.
President Joe Biden granted an emergency declaration that will help Louisiana secure federal money and logistical assistance from partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Both Landry and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also declared states of emergency, authorizing them to quickly free up resources for disaster assistance.
Francine was centered late Wednesday morning about 150 miles southwest of Morgan City and was moving northeast at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the Miami-based hurricane center said. Some additional strengthening was expected Wednesday morning and then Francine is expected to weaken quickly after it moves inland.
A hurricane warning was in effect along the Louisiana coast from Cameron east to Grand Isle, about 50 miles south of New Orleans, according to the center. A storm surge warning stretched from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Alabama-Florida border. Such a warning means life-threatening flooding could occur.
