Texas and Louisiana brace for Storm Francine in the Gulf

Texas and Louisiana brace for Storm Francine in the Gulf

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  • An evacuation order was given in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
  • Entergy Louisiana warned of possible power outages.
  • Residents of Grand Isle, Louisiana, voluntarily evacuated.

Evacuations were ordered in some communities, sandbags were distributed and long lines formed at stores and gas stations as parts of Louisiana and Texas braced for Francine.

“Flash flooding and tidal waves are the biggest threats,” Dina Knightly, senior meteorologist at weather.com, said Monday night. “Isolated rainfall up to 12 inches and tidal waves up to 10 feet are possible.”

Follow Francine’s route here and check the latest weather forecast here.

What you need to do now

If you find yourself in Francine’s potential path, Knightly says now is the time to take action. That includes:

– Move away from the coast and any dikes.

– Prepare an escape route and take medicine, money, water and food with you.

– Don’t forget your pets either.

– Charge your phone and let others know what your subscription is.

(MORE: 5 Things Not to Do During a Hurricane or Tropical Storm)

Evacuations ordered in Louisiana

The southern portion of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, was under a mandatory evacuation order as of 2 p.m. Monday. That included the communities of Hackberry, Johnson Bayou, Holly Beach, Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier and Big Lake. The parish is located on the Gulf Coast, on the state line with Texas.

People in Grand Isle, Louisiana, were told to evacuate their trailers, RVs and boats, and everyone else was advised to voluntarily evacuate. Grand Isle is located about 50 miles south of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish and is the state’s only inhabited barrier island.

If these names sound familiar, that’s because they’re no strangers to hurricanes. Cameron Parish in particular has been hit by multiple storms, including the devastating Hurricane Laura in 2020. Most recently, parts of the region were flooded by Hurricane Beryl in July.

(MORE: America’s most powerful hurricanes were tropical storms just three days before the US attack)

Power outages can cause problems

Entergy, Louisiana’s largest energy provider, warned its 1.3 million customers in the state to be prepared for power outages.

“We urge our customers to take the potential for severe weather seriously and stay prepared,” Steven Benyard, vice president of reliability for Entergy in Louisiana, said in a news release. “Now is not the time to let your guard down. Take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your family and your home.”

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages Texas’s power grid, said local power outages are possible.

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Oil and gas activities affected in Gulf of Mexico

Oil and gas companies have evacuated workers and scaled back operations in anticipation of the storm, Reuters reported. Federal coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are also known to produce about 15% of total U.S. crude oil and 2% of natural gas production.

That already had a potential impact on consumers. Crude oil prices fell Monday on concerns about disruptions from the storm. Natural gas futures fell on concerns that power outages could reduce demand.

(MORE: Category 1 hurricanes are dangerous despite their classification)

Francine comes at just the ‘right’ time

The storm comes at what is historically the peak of the hurricane season. Historically, the Atlantic basin has had more hurricanes and named storms on September 10 than on any other day.

While there has been a slight decrease in activity in recent weeks, we were monitoring at least two other tropical disturbances on Monday evening.

(MORE: ‘Inland’ hurricanes are usually the greatest threat)

Weather.com Reporter Jan Kinds covers the latest news and topics related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.