Louisiana residents brace as Tropical Storm Francine is expected to hit their coast as a hurricane
Tropical Storm Francine has strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to make landfall as a hurricane at mid-week in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Tropical Storm Francine strengthened Monday in the Gulf of Mexico and was forecast to make landfall as a hurricane this week in Louisiana, where evacuation orders were quickly issued in some coastal communities and residents began filling sandbags in preparation for heavy rains and widespread flooding.
Francine, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to become a hurricane shortly, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Monday night. The storm was already being felt in Mexico, where drenching rains closed schools as the storm gathered strength in the Gulf.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urged residents “not to panic, but be prepared" and heed evacuation warnings. Forecasters said Francine's landfall in south Louisiana was expected Wednesday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 96 to 110 mph (155-175 kph).
“We do not want people to wait to the last minute to get on the road and then run out of fuel,” Landry said. “We put a lot of information throughout the summer, throughout hurricane season, so that people can be prepared. The more prepared we are, the easier it is for us.”
