Ferocious Francine slams Louisiana ripping roofs from buildings, leaving hundreds of thousands without power

03:48

New Orleans begins cleanup efforts after Hurricane Francine pummels Louisiana

Cleanup and power restoration efforts are underway across the New Orleans area after the Big Easy was hit by then-Hurricane Francine after the Category 2 hurricane slammed the region with destructive winds and flooding rain. FOX Weather Multimedia Reporter Olivianna Calmes was in Kenner, Louisiana, on Thursday morning with the latest on the storm’s impacts.

NEW ORLEANS – Francine was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone Thursday after slamming the Louisiana coast as a powerful Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, with 100-mph winds that ripped roofs from buildings and trapped dozens of residents inside their homes amid rising floodwaters due to torrential rain.

The eye of then-Hurricane Francine moved onshore at 5 p.m. CT in Terrebonne Parish, pushing hurricane-force wind gusts into southern portions of the state near Baton Rouge.

Winds whipped across the region as Francine approached, made landfall, and moved inland on Wednesday and Thursday. New Orleans reported wind gusts of 78 and 76 mph, while Dulac reported a 97-mph gust and Eugene Island experienced the highest wind gust at 105 mph.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

The top wind reports from Hurricane Francine.

(FOX Weather)

Between the ferocious winds and heavy precipitation, Francine is now responsible for plunging more than 400,000 utility customers in Louisiana and Mississippi in the Southeast into darkness.

A rare Flash Flood Emergency was issued Wednesday night for parts of the New Orleans metro, where 0.50 inches of rain fell in only 9 minutes and 4.5 inches of rain fell in only 3 hours, leading to life-threatening flooding.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP

A Louisiana state trooper working to remove downed trees on Interstate 10 was injured when a tree fell and hit the trooper, according to the Louisiana State Police. The trooper suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital.

The top rain reports from Hurricane Francine.

(FOX Weather)

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) officially had its second-wettest September day on record on Wednesday, receiving 7.33 inches. It was also the city’s ninth-wettest day overall since 1946.

WATCH: HURRICANE FRANCINE'S FURY SLAMS LOUISIANA WITH FEROCIOUS WIND, TORRENTIAL RAIN

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the hurricane’s arrival.

"After declaring a state of emergency, we have now determined that this storm is of such severity that an effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and local governments," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said. "This federal assistance is needed to save lives and property."

Dozens rescued in Lafourche Parish as raging floodwaters rise

00:37

Hurricane Francine's winds rip down building in Houma, Louisiana

FOX Weather Storm Chaser Brandon Copic was in Houma, Louisiana after Hurricane Francine's landfall when near 100 mph winds ripped apart a building. 

The relentless rain that hammered the region led to numerous reports of flooding, trapping residents inside their homes as water crept higher and higher.

According to information provided by Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre, more than two dozen people, including children, needed to be rescued from the flooding.

The sheriff’s office said deputies responded to calls from residents who became trapped in their homes in Thibodaux as flooding cut off escape routes. The residents were safely evacuated and were taken to an emergency shelter.

Keith Osborne’s home was flooded during Francine’s wrath.

"Electricity went out at 7 (p.m.)," Osborne told FOX Weather. "We were just watching the water come up the sidewalk and when it got about a foot away from the door, it started coming in through the garage. And once that happened, it was a losing battle after that."

03:57

Watch: Francine's effects cause significant damage to homes, infrastructure in Louisiana

Dramatic video shared from Louisiana shows the devastating effects of then-Hurricane Francine as the powerful storm slammed the region with destructive winds and flooding rain on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.

Osborne said they lost everything when Hurricane Katrina came through New Orleans in 2005.

"You just do the best you can do," he said. "We’re too old to pick up and move somewhere else, so we’re going to put it back together as best we can and move on, and hope we get 20 more years between storms — I’ll be happy with that."

HURRICANE FRANCINE AFTERMATH COULD LEAD TO RISE IN BACTERIAL INFECTIONS IN SOUTH, CDC WARNS

Power knocked out to half a million in South

Utility companies can’t go out to make repairs and try and restore power until conditions improve across the region.

At the height of the outages, nearly 500,000 customers across several states were without power, with most in Louisiana. 

St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell was on Facebook Live on Wednesday night providing important updates to residents when the room was plunged into darkness.

HURRICANE FRANCINE CAUSING CANCELLATIONS ACROSS GULF COAST AIRLINE, CRUISE TRAVEL

Weather alerts, such as Wind Advisories, Flood Watches and other hazardous weather outlooks, were posted as far north as southern Missouri and as far east as Tennessee as what is left of the tropical cyclone makes its way through the South.

00:19

Winds whip in Theriot, Louisiana, as Francine's eye wall moves through

FOX Weather's Mike Seidel is in Theriot, Louisiana, as winds from Francine's eye wall tear through the city. 

Francine became a hurricane on Sept. 10, marking the peak of the 2024 hurricane season when a named storm is most likely to be roaming the Atlantic Basin. As Francine heads north and eventually dissipates, the NHC is also tracking several other systems in the Atlantic.

The Category 2 hurricane produced damage figures that could reach upwards of $1.5 billion along the Gulf Coast, according to CoreLogic, a global technology company.

"CoreLogic Hazard HQ Command Central estimated Hurricane Francine insured wind and storm surge losses to be up to $1.5 billion. Losses include damage to buildings, contents, and business interruption for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural property," the company stated on Thursday. "The vast majority of the modeled losses stem from damage in Louisiana with Mississippi and Alabama contributing slightly."