More than 400,000 households have been left without power and around 14 million people are living under flood alerts as Tropical Storm Francine batters Louisiana, southern Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, NBC News reported.
Francine, which was a Category Two hurricane when it first made landfall in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, at 5 p.m. local time Wednesday, has since been redesignated as a tropical storm after weakening, according to the outlet.
The southeastern portion of Louisiana has been hit the hardest by power outages, with more than 320,000 left in the dark according to the PowerOutage.us tracker. An additional 27,700 homes and businesses in Mississippi, 36,700 in Alabama, and around 9,000 in Florida have also lost electricity as the storm rages on with sustained wind speeds of 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The center also warned of the risk of flash flooding, which could impact the areas all across the south.
Shocking videos posted to social media by people on the ground show massive amounts of flood water rushing down the street in Louisiana, with one clip from the New Orleans area’s Bucktown showing a “current” down W Esplanade Ave:
Another clip from an X user claiming to be from the Mid-City area of New Orleans shows a brave kayaker heading against the current that flooded the neighborhood’s streets:
Local WDSU news cameras captured the daring rescue of a man stuck in a pickup truck moments away from sinking in floodwaters at New Orleans’ Canal Street Underpass:
“I just had to go down there and do it. I’m a nurse. Gotta save lives, right?” the good Samaritan, Miles Crawford, told reporter Jonah Gilmore.
Several emergency shelters have been opened across the state to house those in need, according to WWLTV.
In Mississippi, there are already 160 people in shelters, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said in an initial report Thursday morning.
No deaths or injuries have been reported in relation to Francine, MEMA noted.
AccuWeather reporter Emmy Victor shared footage of the aftermath of heavy rains from the tropical storm in Jackson, Mississippi, calling it “what’s left of Francine”:
Mississippi State University canceled all classes at their campuses in Starkville and Meridian on Thursday, school officials announced on X:
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