"The time to evacuate has now passed," Jacques Thibodeaux, director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said late morning Wednesday during a final pre-storm news conference with state officials.
"It is the time to go to ground and hunker down," he said.
Echoing those comments, Gov. Jeff Landry urged Louisianans to stay off roadways and stay home. He said people should make final preparations before Hurricane Francine makes landfall, including charging devices while power is still available, storing important documents in waterproof containers, and taking photos of property should the need to assess damage arise.
"If you're in the storm's pathway, understand that you may be without utilities for sometime," Landry said.
As of Wednesday morning, Francine was producing winds up to 90 mph and is expected to make landfall around Morgan City sometime Wednesday afternoon or evening.
Francine was officially designated a hurricane on Tuesday evening.
Life-threatening storm surge is expected during the day along the Louisiana coastline. Hurricane-force winds are expected later in the day, and flash flooding is expected Wednesday night in southeastern Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved Landry's request for a federal emergency declaration. That order will allow federal aid to flow to Louisiana for Hurricane Francine response and recovery, including help with evacuation and sheltering.
"We've been working very closely with GOHSEP for the last several days," said Tony Robinson, Region 6 administrator for Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Your final actions should be complete, and now it's time to hunker down and ride the storm out. Follow the instructions of your local officials," Robinson said.
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said Francine "should move through relatively quickly."
"Most of the impacts should be out of the state by or soon after midnight," Grymes said.
He added that since Tuesday evening, there has not been any "appreciable shift" in the storm's track. And if there is a minor shift before landfall, it is not likely to "greatly endanger New Orleans beyond the state that they're currently in," he said.
Landry said the hope is that winds die down quickly so utility crews can begin to fix any downed power lines, adding that crews cannot repair power lines if winds exceed 30 mph.
Final preparations
People should wait until after the storm has passed to use generators, said Louisiana Fire Marshal Chief Bryan Adams.
Generators should not be used during the storm and should be 15 to 20 feet away from windows and doors, and they should be cooled for 15 to 20 minutes before fueling, Adams said.
“We lose people every hurricane because of this issue,” he added.
After the storm is over, people should not drive through standing or running water and watch out for downed power lines, said Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue.
The transportation department has crews ready to clear debris and monitor flooding, he said.
Stalled vehicles can be reported by dialing *577, said State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges.
Road conditions and travel updates are available at 511LA.org or on the 511 Louisiana mobile app.
Hodges urged people to follow the guidance of local and parish officials and to stay inside.
“This is a time right now where no one should be out on the roadways,” he said.
Louisiana National Guard forces have shifted toward the southeastern and south central part of the state in keeping with the storm’s track, said Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, Louisiana National Guard adjutant general, at the midday Wednesday news conference.
“We currently have over 2,300 guardsmen on mission, and we’ll continue to mobilize forces to reach approximately 2,500 total strength before the storm strikes,” Friloux said.
The Guard has been working with the U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana State Police “to synchronize air search-and-rescue assets and operations,” he added. It has also pre-positioned 14 “route clearance teams” across several parishes to assist with debris removal and road clearance.
