Hurricane Francine strengthens to Category 2 as it slams the Louisiana coast

Hurricane Francine strengthened to a Category 2 storm on Wednesday shortly before making landfall in Louisiana, threatening New Orleans and the broader Gulf Coast with strong winds, rain and a storm surge that led to evacuation orders for thousands of people.

Francine was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (155 km/h) as the eye of the storm made landfall on the southern Louisiana coast near Morgan City, Louisiana, about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of New Orleans, the National US Hurricane Center.

The hurricane center upgraded the storm from a Category 1 previously on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. It classifies a Category 2 hurricane as producing extremely dangerous winds that will cause widespread damage. Little change in strength was expected ahead of landfall later Wednesday.

The storm was moving northeast at 17 mph (28 km/h), putting not only Morgan City but also New Orleans in the general path. The New Orleans metropolitan area was under a hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions were possible.

“They’re on our doorstep. After the storm is over, please stay put,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said at a news conference. “Stay out of the way.”

Morgan City had already placed a curfew until 6 a.m. Thursday, Police Chief Chad Adams told reporters.

“We want everyone to have some sort of shelter in place,” Adams said of the city’s 11,000 people.

After making landfall, the hurricane was expected to move along southeast Louisiana Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

Landry and US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, freeing up emergency management resources and possible financial aid in case of severe damage.

Several parishes or counties on or near the Louisiana Gulf Coast earlier issued mandatory evacuation orders, and the state Department of Transportation issued evacuation maps. The City of New Orleans distributed sandbags to five locations.

Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter was eerily empty Wednesday afternoon as people heeded warnings to evacuate. New Orleans did not experience the expected winds or gusts as the eastern wall of the hurricane began to make landfall near the town of Morgan.

Any major storm near Louisiana evokes memories of Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that devastated New Orleans and surrounding areas, killing nearly 1,400 people and causing $125 billion in damage, according to a 2023 hurricane center report.

Water from Lake Pontchartrain, which borders the city to the north, was beginning to bubble over its seawall. But since Katrina, the federal government has built a $14.5 billion levee protection system, which includes stormwater gates that can prevent storm surges from bursting into the city’s internal sewers, which suffered catastrophic failure during hurricane katrina.

Grocers were boarded in the late afternoon, but not before veterans of previous storms were loaded with supplies.

“We’re ready. We’ve got our canned goods. You’ve got our supplies,” said Steve Rodriguez, who has lived in New Orleans since 1983 and was doing some last-minute extra shopping. “I was hoping to get some sausage. I have meat in the freezer, but it would be easier to cook some beans or something.”

The storm has already disrupted energy production and agricultural exports from the US Gulf of Mexico.

Nearly 39 percent of oil production and almost half of natural gas output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were offline Wednesday, according to the offshore regulator. A total of 171 production platforms and three rigs had been evacuated.

In Dulac, a coastal fishing community 70 miles southwest of New Orleans, fisherman Barry Rogers said he planned to ride out the storm with his 80-foot (24-meter) shrimp, not his house.

“The house isn’t going anywhere. If it does, there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “If a rope breaks on the boat, I’d rather be there to tie another.”