Hurricane Francine is packing intense winds, heavy rainfall and a ...

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

President Biden has approved an emergency disaster declaration for Louisiana to respond to Hurricane Francine. It made landfall earlier today as a Category 2 storm with hundred-mile-an-hour winds, heavy rainfall and a big storm surge. NPR's Debbie Elliott joins us now from New Orleans. Hi, Debbie.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Hi, Ari.

SHAPIRO: What have conditions been like as the storm lumbered ashore today?

ELLIOTT: Well, things have been deteriorating throughout the day and, you know, the storm at the last minute gaining more strength, moving from a Category 1 to a Category 2. And that's because of those record warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. It's just getting fuel from the hot water in the gulf. Here in New Orleans, the wind and rain has significantly picked up this afternoon and evening. I tried to step outside my hotel at one point just to sort of check things out and thought better of it, seeing the rain flying sideways. Down in the coastal regions, it's even more severe. Some roads have been inundated already. Several main highways and bridges are closed. There's been a lot of heavy rain in the outer bands moving ashore on the northeastern side of Francine's eye and a couple of isolated tornado warnings. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says it's time to stay put.

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JEFF LANDRY: It is on our doorstep as we speak. Remember, after the storm is over, please remain in place. We are going to have a lot of people on the roadway. That is necessary to put the vital infrastructure back in place so that you can go about your daily lives.

ELLIOTT: Now, official stress while this is not a monster storm - say, like Katrina or Hurricane Ida - it's still a dangerous hurricane.

SHAPIRO: Louisiana has a lot of experience dealing with hurricanes. Are people taking this one seriously?

ELLIOTT: You know, from what I've seen and from what our member stations in the region are reporting, I would say so. I'm staying on typically bustling Canal Street, in New Orleans' Central Business District, and it's pretty deserted. Uptown, Brian Heely and Tom Thurman stopped to share a beer outside a grocery store after stocking up on supplies. They're hurricane veterans, and here's what they told our member station WWNO.

BRIAN HEELY: I've been watching the news, trying to pay it a lot of attention. I don't take them lightly, but I'm not real worried about it.

TOM THURMAN: No, I just think you just got to be smart. Just don't be foolish. If you want to have a beer or two and have a party, that's one thing, but don't just be stupid. You know, respect nature 'cause she wins.

ELLIOTT: Francine has winds strong enough to knock down power lines, heavy rains that will cause flooding, and then along the coast, a storm surge reaching up to 10 feet right in the path of the hurricane.

SHAPIRO: Just don't be foolish sounds like pretty good advice for life.

ELLIOTT: Exactly.

SHAPIRO: What about evacuations? Did people leave ahead of Francine?

ELLIOTT: There were some evacuations ordered in coastal parishes, places like Grand Isle and communities outside the levees. And there were also curfews in place there. A couple of vulnerable nursing homes evacuated their residents in New Orleans. Our Gulf States Newsroom spoke with Gabriella Trujillo, who has a serious medical condition that's made worse by stress and heat, and she decided to pack up her medicines and leave town.

GABRIELLA TRUJILLO: I made this, actually, the beginning of storm season knowing that this might happen, but a list of all my meds. I am going to drive, like, two to three hours northeast.

ELLIOTT: She didn't want to risk staying in her apartment in case of power outages. And then in the Gulf of Mexico, oil and gas companies have evacuated workers from offshore operations.

SHAPIRO: Just in a sentence or two, where's the storm going next?

ELLIOTT: You know, it's going to lose its strength pretty rapidly as it comes inland and head over Mississippi and points north.

SHAPIRO: NPR's Debbie Elliott in New Orleans. Thanks. Stay safe. Stay Dry.

ELLIOTT: Thanks, Ari.

(SOUNDBITE OF ALEX VAUGHN SONG, "SO BE IT") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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