‘STAY WHERE YOU ARE’

Francine Floods Parts of New Orleans, Knocks Out Power to Half a Million

“DO NOT go sightseeing,” said the National Weather Service’s New Orleans office.

Francine knocked out power for almost half a million homes and businesses in the South and caused hundreds of flight cancellations as it hit shore as a hurricane Wednesday. After making landfall in southern Louisiana with powerful gusts up to 100 miles per hour and leaving parts of New Orleans flooded, the storm weakened to a tropical depression over south-central Mississippi early Thursday, with winds of 35 miles per hour and heavy rainfall also in Alabama and the Florida panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said. “As the sun starts to rise this morning, DO NOT go sightseeing,” the National Weather Service’s New Orleans office said in a Facebook post. “Stay where you are today! Rescuers and emergency response professionals still need to do their jobs this morning! Don’t make their jobs harder or more dangerous!” About 80 flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were canceled Thursday, on top of 240 that were canceled in the area Wednesday, according to FlightAware.com.