Louisiana rebounds in the wake of Hurricane Francine as parish offices reopen, water orders lift

Two days after Hurricane Francine dumped heavy rains and whipped high winds across southern Louisiana, water conservation orders eased and power returned to much of the region, as efforts continued to assess the damage and aid hundreds of homeowners who experienced flooding.

Gov. Jeff Landry and other state officials boarded a convoy of three Louisiana State Police and National Guard helicopters in Baton Rouge Friday morning. From the air, bayous and other waterways appeared swollen, but minimal damage from Francine was visible. 

Though it deluged several parishes and left some homeowners mopping up, Francine's much-hyped storm surges never came, and many officials said the storm posed less of a threat than they feared. That point was underscored Friday as lights flickered on, government offices reopened and day-to-day life largely resumed. 

Officials in Terrebonne Parish, where Francine made landfall, said they fared better than expected. “Reports we're getting so far is the damage is light,” Terrebonne Parish President Jason Bergeron said. "Everything held up."

In St. John the Baptist Parish, less than 30% of residents who had lost power remained without it Friday morning, officials said. “Even if you haven’t seen the trucks, progress is being made,” said parish spokesperson Baileigh Rebowe Helm. 

In Orleans and Jefferson parishes, government officials lifted water restrictions, allowing residents to resume washing dishes and doing laundry. The same was true for St. Charles Parish, where more than 288 properties flooded. 

Garbage collection also resumed in many areas, including Kenner, where at least 100 homes took on water. 

Entergy had restored power by Friday afternoon to nearly 75% of customers whose homes went dark late Wednesday. The thousands who remained without electricity can expect it to be returned in waves, Entergy said, with all power restored no later than Monday. 

But even as large areas of the state returned to normal, others continued to battle the aftermath of a storm that dumped several inches of rain in just a few hours. 

In Kenner, Charles Mosshammer and his wife Jacquelyn saw water creep into their laundry room, bathroom and bedroom Wednesday night as Francine moved over the area. But that water was easily drained by a shop vacuum, unlike others who saw more severe flooding.

"Our neighbor had 10 inches of water through the whole house," Charles said. "He had furniture, baseboards, all the door trim and stuff thrown out."

An average of 7 to 9 inches of rain fell Wednesday on the east bank of Orleans and Jefferson, most of which came in one deluge over a few hours as Francine barraged the region. Several of the Jefferson Parish's 194 pumps — as well as three of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport’s four pumps — experienced mechanical failures during the storm’s peak, contributing to the flooding.

St. John and St. James parishes remained under water conservation orders Thursday. In St. John, sections of both Interstate 55 and U.S. Highway 51 were closed due to high water. In St. Bernard, La. 46 was passable, but still covered by water, parish officials said. 

”When we look over and we fly over, there are certainly people out there who need a lot of services,” Landry told local officials during a meeting in Morgan City, as he noted utilities caused some of the strongest pressure points. 

After landing in Kenner on Friday, Landry met with Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Sewerage and Water Board officials on how to fix the communities’ drainage challenges. He said he was grateful that few structures appeared to have been badly damaged.

“As we flew through, I can tell you the number of blue tarps we’re going to need will be extremely minimal,” Landry said.

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said the state’s congressional delegation was pushing the federal government to designate Francine a major disaster to unlock more aid.

“Luckily it moved through fast and got out of here, but it dumped a lot of water on us,” said Scalise.

The United Way of Southeast Louisiana has launched a relief fund to directly support those affected by the storm. Six temporary distribution centers — five in Terrebonne and one in St. Mary parishes — also opened Friday to give ice, food and water to those in need.

Staff writers Sam Karlin and Jillian Kramer contributed to this report.