Francine is downgraded to a tropical storm, but not before leaving darkness and destruction in its wake. Francine made landfall late this afternoon as a Category Two hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of close to 100 miles an hour. Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna took a drive into town to see the scene for himself, but he had to turn around because too much debris was hitting his truck. He returned home and noticed considerable damage at his place.

Cut 5 (09) “…is considerably blowing.”

The winds uprooted trees, ripped down powerlines and tore roofs off buildings. The storm surge also submerged marinas along the coast.

As for where Francine stands right now – again, it is now a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds down to 70 miles an hour. It’s located about 35 miles west-northwest of New Orleans and is moving northeast at 16 miles an hour.

A dramatic rescue in New Orleans, and it all unfolded on live TV. Jonah Gilmore was doing a live shot on New Orleans TV station WDSU from the Canal Street Underpass as a pickup truck that went around barricades was becoming submerged in floodwaters. The driver was still inside, and a good Samaritan got him out in the nick of time.

Cut 23 (12) “…there it is.”

Miles Crawford was the man who broke the window and pulled the driver to safety.

Cut 24 (04) “…save lives, right?”

If you’re driving and you encounter high waters, do not chance it. Turn around, don’t drown. A flash flood warning remains in effect for much of southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans.

The number of people without power continues to climb. At last check, that number is now up to almost 350-thousand customers.