As Hurricane Francine continues making its way inland, it continues to weaken. It came ashore in Terrebonne Parish late this afternoon packing maximum sustained winds of close to 100 miles an hour. Those winds are now down to 85 miles an hour, and it’s expected to continue to weaken. As of seven this evening, the eye of the storm was located about 20 miles east-southeast of Morgan City and about 55 miles west-southwest of New Orleans. It’s continuing to move northeast at 17 miles an hour, as it has been for the last several hours.

Power outages continue to increase – I’m now seeing that more than 134-thousand people have lost power. Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May says they have more than quadrupled their normal manpower to get power back up and running as quickly as possible.

Cut 22 (10) “…it’s morning light.”

Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have nearly 50-thousand people combined without power.

The Louisiana National Guard is mobilized, ready to support rescue and recovery operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine. Colonel Jennifer Mumme (“mummy”) says they’re ready to help.

Cut 14 (12) “…and other operations.”

The guard also provides logistical support with tarps, water and meals ready to eat.

With electrical and rescue crews fanned across the affected areas, DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue is urging you to please stay off the roads.

Cut 24 (12) “…keep safety first.”

And if you have damage to your property, the first thing you should do, once it’s safe to do so, is to take pictures and document the damage to make the insurance process go more smoothly.

The eye of Hurricane Francine is now inland. It made landfall late this afternoon in Terrebonne Parish as a Category Two hurricane. Fortunately, Francine has started to weaken. Maximum sustained winds are now down to 90 miles an hour, downgrading it to a Category One storm. It’s still maintaining that northeasterly track at 17 miles an hour, so the storm should pass through the state very quickly.

The power outages are soaring – more than 81-thousand people are now without power. Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May says his crews are ready to get the lights back on as soon as possible.

Cut 23 (14) “…this storm on.”

Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have almost 20-thousand people in the dark each.

If you’re using a portable generator, keep it outdoors, away from windows and doors, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal.

Governor Landry can’t stress enough – please stay off the roads.

Cut 21 (10) “…your daily lives.”

Many homes will sustain significant structural damage from the storm. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says the first thing those homeowners should do…

Cut 10 (09) “…inspect for damage.”

Temple also reminds homeowners to gather essential information like photographs of damage and receipts for emergency repairs, which can expedite claim approval process.

Tangipahoa (TAN-jee-pa-HOE-ah) Parish is preparing for Francine by learning lessons from past storms like Hurricane Ida. Parish President Robbie Miller says Entergy has invested millions making the infrastructure more robust…

Cut 15 (07) “…able to handle it.”

Hurricane Francine has officially made landfall in Terrebonne Parish as a Category Two hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of close to 100 miles an hour. It is moving exactly northeast at 17 miles an hour. LRN Meteorologist Bill Jackerman says this should be the peak of the storm.

Cut 28 (13) “…the storm weakens.”

GOHSEP spokesman Mike Steele says many trees were weakened by last year’s drought and it could lead to more trees and limbs falling on power lines…

Cut 3 (12) “…or whatever.”

Officials are urging you to stay off the roads to allow emergency crews to do their work.

Now that Francine has made landfall, we’re starting to see more and more power outages. Statewide, I’m seeing that almost 40-thousand people are without power. Not all of them from the hurricane, but the bulk of the power outages are concentrated in the coastal parishes of southeastern Louisiana. Almost ten-thousand in St. Mary Parish and more than seven-thousand in Terrebonne Parish, where Francine made landfall.

St. John the Baptist Parish is in the path of the storm. It’s seen its fair share of damage from previous hurricanes. Parish president Jaclyn Hotard says her biggest concern with Francine is flooding…

Cut 12 (09) “…heavy rainfall.”

Hotard says with the storm expected to move through the state quickly, she’s confident that issues will be limited to localized street flooding. St. John the Baptist Parish is bordered by lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas.

Francine is now a Category Two hurricane. We just got the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. It says Francine is now packing maximum sustained winds of 100 miles an hour. It has moved to within 40 miles south-southwest of Morgan City and is moving northeast at around 17 miles an hour. That means we’re expecting the storm to make landfall within the next hour or two.

State Climatologist Jay Grimes says while this is shaping up to be a severe storm, the worst will be over by the end of the day today.

Cut 11 (14) “…system as well.”

Governor Landry and GOHSEP say if you have not evacuated by now, it’s too late. The best thing you can do is to hunker down, ride out the storm and stay off the roads.

As far as power outages go, almost 24-hundred customers in St. Mary Parish are in the dark. And for those and others who lose power, it could be out for quite a while.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

Tangipahoa (TAN-jee-pa-HOE-ah) Parish President Robbie Miller says there is a strong emphasis on ensuring power and water services remain operational, with backup systems in place for medical facilities. Miller says Entergy has invested millions making the infrastructure more robust…

Cut 15 (07) “…able to handle it.”

We’re not too far from hurricane force winds coming ashore. The eye of Hurricane Francine is now 60 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, moving to the northeast at 17 miles an hour. Maximum sustained winds remain at 90 miles an hour, making it a strong Category One hurricane. And now, I’m starting to see reports of power outages. Within the hour, St. Mary Parish is reporting almost 18-hundred customers without power. In Assumption Parish, that number is just over 13-hundred.

GOHSEP Spokesman Mike Steele says many trees were weakened by last year’s drought and it could lead to more trees and limbs falling on power lines…

Cut 3 (12) “…or whatever.”

GOHSEP says the time to evacuate has passed; so if you’re in the path of the storm, the best thing for you to do right now is to hunker down and ride out the storm.

Hurricane Francine may be bearing down on southeast Louisiana as a strong Category one storm. But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

St. John the Baptist Parish has seen its fair share of damage from previous hurricanes. Parish president Jaclyn Hotard says she’s encouraged by Francine’s forecast, which shows the storm moving quickly through the River Parishes.

Cut 13 (08) “…the way” 

Some areas of the Louisiana Coast are starting to feel the effects of Hurricane Francine. As of one this afternoon, Francine was located 95 miles southwest of Morgan City, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles an hour. It’s now moving northeast at 17 miles an hour. Tropical storm force winds extend 115 miles from the eye, so locations within the path are starting to get those high winds.

A tornado watch is in effect for many Southeast Louisiana parishes, including those in the New Orleans area. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form. A tornado WARNING, on the other hand, means a tornado is present. The watch is in effect until 11 tonight.

Governor Landry is urging you to stay off the roads, not only to keep yourself safe, but also to allow emergency workers room to do their rescue and recovery work during and after the storm.

Cut 10 (06) “…and stay put.”

Hurricane Francine may be bearing down on southeast Louisiana as a strong Category one storm. But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Tangipahoa (TAN-jee-pa-HOE-ah) Parish is preparing for Francine by learning lessons from past storms like Hurricane Ida. Parish President Robbie Miller says that Ida was a storm that changed how the parish prepares…

Cut  14 (05) “..time to recover.”

Shelter locations for Tangipahoa are Restoration Church, Amite (AY-meet) Community Center, and Brown’s Chapel.

Tropical-storm force winds are now coming onto the Louisiana coast. We just got the latest intermediate update from the National Hurricane Center on Hurricane Francine. The eye of the storm has moved to within 95 miles of Morgan City, moving northeast at around 16 miles an hour. Maximum sustained winds are still 90 miles an hour – no change from the ten o’clock update. Those of you near the path – the Hurricane Center says hurricane force winds extend up to 40 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend up to 115 miles outward.

GOHSEP Director Jacques Thibodaux says if you have not evacuated by now, don’t bother.

Cut 9 (12)  “…response to a hurricane.”

Governor Landry echoes those sentiments, not only to keep yourself safe, but also to allow emergency workers room to do their rescue and recovery work during and after the storm.

Hurricane Francine could leave some people without power for days.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

St. John the Baptist Parish has seen its fair share of damage from previous hurricanes. Parish president Jaclyn Hotard says her biggest concern with Francine is flooding…

Cut 12 (09) “…heavy rainfall.”

St. John the Baptist Parish is bordered by lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas.

Conditions are beginning to deteriorate in south Louisiana as the center of Hurricane Francine churns closer to St. Mary and Terrebonne Parishes. It’s a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 90 mph and it’s moving northeast at 13 miles per hour. The storm is about 120 miles southwest of Morgan City and is expected to make landfall later today. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says there is an upside.

Cut 6 (09) “…approaches the coast.”

And Keim says Francine should move quickly through southeast Louisiana and the center of the storm is expected to be in Mississippi during the overnight hours.

Governor Jeff Landry urges the public not to relax, because it’s just a Cat 1 storm…

Cut 5 (15) “…stay put.”

A category one storm can have maximum sustained winds up to 95 miles per hour.

Hurricane Francine is expected to move quickly through southeast Louisiana, but unfortunately could leave some people without power for days. Colleen Crain has the story.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

A curfew is now in place in Lafourche Parish. A shelter in place is now in effect for New Orleans. Over a hundred flights have been cancelled at Louis Armstrong International Airport. Afternoon flights are also canceled out of Lafayette and Baton Rouge airports. Numerous parishes in southeast Louisiana have opened evacuation shelters of last resort.