Hurricane Francine aftermath: What to know Thursday
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A fallen tree blocks a Houma roadway on Wednesday as Hurricane Francine blows through. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Hurricane Francine swept through south Louisiana on Wednesday, leaving downed power lines, street flooding and littered roadways in its wake.
Why it matters: Storm cleanup already began Thursday, and official updates on water, power and street safety are expected throughout the day.
Catch up quick: Francine made landfall around 5pm Wednesday as a Cat 2 storm.
- The eye passed near New Orleans on its way north, dumping 9 inches of rain in the area. Pumps couldn't keep up with the deluge, and it flooded streets and some homes and businesses in the region.
- City and state officials, utility workers and public works staff are already assessing storm damage, clearing streets and starting repairs.
Here's what we know Thursday.
Power outages
More than 300,000 Louisiana customers were without power around 2pm Thursday, according to poweroutage.us.
- About 239,000 of those were Entergy customers.
- About 50,000 were in New Orleans, Entergy New Orleans president and CEO Deanna Rodriguez said in a call with reporters Thursday morning.
Zoom in: Entergy had some transmission damage, Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May said, but that wasn't why most customers lost power.
- The biggest problem, he said, was caused by vegetation weakened by last year's drought and other environmental issues.
- Entergy has about 6,000 workers in the state, with more arriving, to assess and repair lines.
Restoration efforts, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO Phillip May said, will focus first on critical infrastructure (hospitals and fire and police stations) and repairs that will get power on for the most people at one time.
Threat level: May and Rodriguez asked residents to stay away from and report downed power lines.
- Scams, Rodriguez said, can pop up post-storm, and she reminded customers that the utility does not require payment for power restoration.
What's next: Entergy won't have restoration timelines until crews are done with their assessment work, May said, but noted that, prior to Francine's landfall, the company estimated it could take up to a week to restore lines hit by a Category 1 storm.
- "We do not anticipate this being an Ida situation where it's extended for a long period of time," May said, referencing the 2021 storm that left some communities out of power for weeks.
New Orleans resource center
Emergency resource centers will open in New Orleans today from 2pm to 7pm to offer spaces to charge phones and medical equipment, and cool off in air conditioning, NOLA Ready's Collin Arnold said in a City Hall press conference Thursday.
- The centers may open Friday, depending on need, Arnold said.
- NOLA Ready plans to operate centers at the following NORDC recreation centers: Joe Brown, Treme, Rosenwald and the Cutoff.
- Oxygen tanks will be available for exchange at Rosenwald and the Cutoff, New Orleans Health Department director Jennfier Avegno said.
The Terrytown Playground shelter is shutting down, Jefferson Parish officials said.
- It will be replaced by a shelter at Joe Bright Playground on the east bank where most damage hit the parish, officials said. Residents looking to cool off or use chargers can also utilize that space.
Water and sewerage
The latest: Residents on Orleans Parish's east bank and residents in Jefferson Parish are being asked to conserve water so sewer systems won't get overloaded.
Drinking water remains safe to consume and use as usual.
What to do: Don't run large appliances such as washing machines, take shorter showers and focus on general water conservation, officials said.
What happened: The problem in Orleans Parish was tied to power outages that brought down pumps at one of the city's two sewerage pumping stations, Korban said.
What's next: Temporary and long-term fixes are in the works, but could take until the end of Thursday or Friday to get in place, Korban said.
- Jefferson Parish water conservation will continue through Thursday night, officials said in a press conference Thursday.
Cleanup, trash and debris
Debris pick-up in New Orleans is in the works, but the trash pick-up schedule remains behind by a day, officials said Thursday.
- That means if you usually have trash pick-up on Thursdays, the truck won't be by until Friday.
- Most small branches and general debris that can be bagged will be picked up on usual trash days. But for problems with larger items, call 311 to schedule a storm debris pick-up, officials said.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated.