Hurricane Francine’s Damage
Hurricane Francine was originally projected to hit most of Louisiana head on as a Cat 2, only to shift more towards Mississippi. Despite that shift, she still made landfall hitting Terrebonne Parish on Wednesday, September 11 with wind speeds of around 100 mph. As she made her way inland, she died down to a tropical storm.
Despite her weakened winds, she still brought in heavy rain causing extensive flooding to much of coastal Louisiana, especially in St. Charles Parish and the city of Kenner. 350 buildings were flooded in St. Charles, and 50 homes in Kenner. The flooding in New Orleans had become chest high in some areas, resulting in one man getting trapped in his car after driving into a flooded road. Thankfully, a nurse who lived nearby acted quickly by breaking the window, allowing the water to drain so he could escape.
Flooding was not the only problem that Francine left residents with. Thousands of people across multiple states were left without power as a result of her damage. Some of those without power were left in a blackout for several days. In Jefferson Parish, residents were requested to limit their water usage because the storm was overwhelming the sewer systems with the runoff. 500 Louisiana residents were placed in emergency shelters at one point due to damages caused by the storm.
In a number of areas that Francine hit, residents were still recovering from the damage caused by hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, Ida, notably, causing long-lasting damage. Of the damages, 125,000 residential properties were put at risk just from the storm surge flooding. Insurance companies reported over $1.5 billion dollars in damages caused by Francine in buildings, items lost, agricultural property, and financial losses reported by closures in businesses. This number does not even include damages to properties offshore.
Despite the large amount of damages caused by Hurricane France, no fatalities have been reported as related to the storm. Numerous families were displaced and there were a number of injuries, but all in all, everyone remained safe through the storm. Southern Louisiana was even able to start showing signs of recovery just two days after the hurricane. The main issue that Louisiana residents fought with was getting the power restored across the state. Most schools across the state were able to resume classes that Friday, September 13. Although, schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes kept their schools closed until Monday, September 16.
Despite Francine being the strongest hurricane out of the three to hit the United States this season, many were able to stay safe.
Francine, at a Cat 2, is the strongest hurricane out of the three to have hit the United States this season. Despite this, Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida as Category 4 hurricane on September 26 and poses the threat of causing significantly more damages than Francine.
