Hurricane Francine Causes Widespread Damage, Power Outages

Hurricane Francine left significant damage across multiple regions as it made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. In Memphis, thousands of customers experienced power outages, with peak outages reaching over 24,000 on Thursday evening. Louisiana was severely impacted, with more than 251,000 people without electricity and extensive damage reported in parishes like Morgan City and Lafourche. Governor Jeff Landry credited pre-storm planning for mitigating the storm's impact but acknowledged the need for faster project implementation. Cleanup efforts are ongoing in parishes like St. Charles and St. James, where officials are working to restore power and clear debris. Assumption Parish received over 12 inches of rain, causing significant flooding and road blockages.