Hurricane Francine hit the state of Louisiana in the south of the United States today, sweeping the coast with violent winds and bringing with it heavy rain, raising fears of dangerous flooding.
‘Heavy rains (and strong winds) are moving inland across southern Louisiana,’ the US Hurricane Centre (NHC) said in a bulletin issued at 22:00 GMT, urging local residents to stay “indoors and away from windows”.
With winds of around 155 km/h, Francine was reclassified as category 2 on a scale of 5 by the US agency.
Today, even before the hurricane's arrival, heavy rain began to fall along the coast in the Mississippi Strait region.
The hurricane could bring up to 30 centimeters of rain in some places, leading to possible flash floods, including in cities, the authorities warned.
New Orleans, the major city devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, could be particularly affected.
Sea levels have already begun to rise along the coast and could temporarily rise by up to 3 meters, according to NHC forecasts.
In Louisiana, many communities have been ordered to evacuate.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in that region on Tuesday, a measure that allows federal funds to be released to help local authorities.
In Houma, a small town south-west of New Orleans, residents were preparing for the arrival of the hurricane.
In the streets, sandbags were placed on the doors of buildings to prevent water from entering.
Members of the state's National Guard were on standby, with 32 helicopters, 387 vehicles and 87 boats mobilised to provide assistance. Around 1.1 million litres of water are stored and ready to be distributed if necessary, they announced on the X social network.
The coasts of Texas and parts of Mississippi will also be affected, but to a lesser extent.
Francine is expected to quickly lose power once it reaches land.
The National Hurricane Centre is constantly monitoring the storm and has even sent aircraft to its centre.
According to forecasts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released at the end of May, the North Atlantic hurricane season - which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November - is expected to be particularly turbulent this year, mainly due to the heat of the oceans, which fuels hurricanes.
