‘Prepare to hunker down’: Hurricane Francine strengthens before US landfall
Al Jazeera
Francine is set to become a Category 2 hurricane, with warnings of ‘life-threatening’ conditions as it nears the US state of Louisiana.
Hurricane Francine is set to become a Category 2 storm before making landfall in Louisiana, the United States National Weather Service has warned, with “life-threatening” storm surge, inland flooding from heavy rainfall and dangerous wind gusts expected.
The warning on Wednesday came as parishes across the southern US state issued evacuation orders. Over a quarter of oil and gas production was also shut down in the Gulf of Mexico, with the Coast Guard shuttering operations at Port Fourchon, a key energy hub, as the storm approached.
Late Tuesday, US President Joe Biden declared a federal state of emergency, opening up expedited aid and rescue funding. That came a day after Louisiana’s Governor Jeff Landry also issued the same declaration on the state level.
The National Weather Service, meanwhile, urged residents to “make sure you have all preparations rushed to completion” as soon as possible.
“Then, prepare to hunker down and shelter in place through the overnight hours,” it said in a post on X.
