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Flooding in Mandeville near Lake Pontchartrain as storm moves north
There was flash flooding that approached homes in Mandeville — a city across from the New Orleans area, near Lake Pontchartrain — the National Weather Service reported, as Francine moved north.
The flooding was reported in the Greenleaves neighborhood of the city of around 13,000 in St. Tammany Parish, the weather service said in on X.
“More rain, more winds,” St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper said in a video late Wednesday. “Just sit tight. We appreciate you being at home, staying safe.”
The rain had died down in the New Orleans area by late Wednesday, but the National Weather Service warned of flooded roads and urged people not enter floodwaters. They can conceal contaminants like sewage, as well as power lines, and can be fatal, it said.
In Kenner, west of New Orleans, photos from NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans showed flooding and swamped cars.
More than 340,000 customers without power in Louisiana
More than 340,000 customers were without power in Louisiana after Francine struck the state, badly affecting southeastern Louisiana, where it made landfall.
Across the state, 344,338 customers were without power, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.
Utility company Entergy had 259,678 customers affected, Eric Skrmetta, who is on the Louisiana Public Service Commission, said on X.
Francine weakens to tropical storm
After pounding parts of Louisiana, including New Orleans, with heavy rain that flooded streets and homes, Francine weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm tonight.
There were still hurricane-force wind gusts in the New Orleans area, the National Weather Service said in an 11 p.m. ET bulletin.
Maximum sustained winds were at 70 mph; a Category 1 hurricane has winds from 74 mph to 95 mph.
Hurricane warnings were discontinued, but tropical storm and storm surge warnings remained in the region.
Louisiana universities close campuses, go remote due to hurricane
Louisiana State University, Tulane University, Xavier University and other institutions closed campuses and announced remote instruction because of Hurricane Francine.
LSU closed its campus, and classes tomorrow are remote. Xavier will also have remote classes tomorrow, with an expected in-person return Friday.
Tulane announced that its campus is physically closed and that remote classes and work will continue through tomorrow evening.
River Parishes Community College closed its campus through tomorrow and told students to look out for further updates.
The University of Louisiana Lafayette said that there was little damage there and that campus will reopen at noon tomorrow.
Nunez Community College previously announced it would close campus today and tomorrow, switching to “virtual operations.”
'Past the point’ where canals and pumps are overwhelmed, Jefferson Parish official says
A council member in Jefferson Parish told residents to stay off roads because of dangerous flooding from Hurricane Francine.
“We are in an extremely dangerous flooding situation. Do not get on the road unless you absolutely have to. Canals have overflowed and street flooding is widespread,” Parish Council member at-large Scott Walker said on X.
“We’re past the point where canals and pumps are overwhelmed. Just talked to our drainage director — 3-5 inches in the last 3 hours, 6-9 inches for the day and counting,” he said.
Jefferson Parish is just west and south of New Orleans and adjacent to the city.
Heavy rain headed for North Shore, to taper off in New Orleans
Rain in the New Orleans area will begin to taper off as the hurricane moves north, the National Weather Service said, but it will hit the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
Even though the rain is tapering off in New Orleans, the weather service said that it is still dangerous there because of many flooded roads and that people should stay inside.
Good Samaritan who saved driver on live TV is ER nurse
A bystander who went into a flooded underpass to rescue a pickup driver who drove into the floodwaters and saved him on live television said he is an ER nurse and used to high-stress situations.
“I guess it is a big deal, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary, so to speak,” the rescuer, Miles Crawford, told NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans.
Crawford used a hammer to break a rear window and help pull the driver of a pickup to safety during WDSU's live coverage of Hurricane Francine.
“I saw that there was a guy in there and the water was steadily rising," he said. “I was seeing if we could find anything to break the window, and so I ran back to my house and grabbed a hammer and ran back.”
“And I went in there and got him,” he said.
Crawford said he told the driver that he needed to get out of the vehicle and that the water was rising fast.
"He was, you know, looking for things, and I was like, 'no, we don't have time for that,'" he said. First responders arrived as the man was out of the truck and in safer waters, WDSU video showed.
New Orleans residents told to conserve water as storm causes problems at sewerage pump stations
New Orleans residents have been told to conserve water because of power outages that are causing problems at sewerage pump stations, a city emergency preparedness alert said.
It had initially said the Sewerage and Water Board was experiencing impacts at pump stations, but corrected its messaging to say it was at sewerage pump stations.
New Orleans says 911 issue is resolved
New Orleans officials said cell carriers reported that problems reaching 911 in the hurricane area have been resolved.
"AT&T and T-Mobile report resolution of issue with customers being able to reach 9-1-1 in hurricane impact area," said NOLA Ready, managed by the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Earlier, New Orleans police said the carriers reported problems and distributed an alternate number for emergencies.
Flash flood emergency for New Orleans as dramatic video shows truck rescue
The National Weather Service issued a “flash flood emergency” message for areas that include New Orleans until 11:45 p.m. local time as live video showed a dramatic rescue in a flooded part of the city.
The emergency, which was announced on X, also includes Metairie and Kenner. It instructs people to move to higher ground immediately.
As the emergency was declared, a live shot on NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans showed a pickup truck with someone inside driving into floodwaters, getting stuck and starting to sink.
The truck appeared stuck in the deep water near an underpass. Water went up to the nearly the windows, and eventually the entire front went underwater.
A bystander entered the water and broke a rear window, and the driver was seen crawling out, falling into the water and being helped by the rescuer to a guardrail, where he was able to hang on.
First responders then appeared.
Officials repeatedly warn drivers in hurricanes and other severe weather to never drive into floodwaters, using the phrase “turn around, don’t drown.”