02:06Hurricane Francine made landfall in southern Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm, bringing storm-force winds and heavy rain that caused flash flooding and the loss of power for more than a quarter of a million people.
Footage captured in Abbeville shows houses being lashed by rain with sandbags outside. Empty streets and bridges can be seen as residents shelter in place and trees are buffeted by the wind.
"It's just been a lot of wind and rain. We just lost power about maybe 10 minutes ago [...] Hopefully, we don't have no power too long," a local said.
With winds extending up to 40 miles from its centre, Hurricane Francine has since been downgraded to Tropical Storm Francine. But it continues to threaten the region with life-threatening storm surges, strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Tropical storm warnings and tornado watches were issued across several states, as forecasts predicted significant rains and potential flash flooding in major cities including Jackson, Birmingham, Memphis and Atlanta.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries at the time of publication.
'We've just lost power'- Hurricane Francine leaves over 250,000 in the dark across southern Louisiana
Hurricane Francine made landfall in southern Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm, bringing storm-force winds and heavy rain that caused flash flooding and the loss of power for more than a quarter of a million people.
Footage captured in Abbeville shows houses being lashed by rain with sandbags outside. Empty streets and bridges can be seen as residents shelter in place and trees are buffeted by the wind.
"It's just been a lot of wind and rain. We just lost power about maybe 10 minutes ago [...] Hopefully, we don't have no power too long," a local said.
With winds extending up to 40 miles from its centre, Hurricane Francine has since been downgraded to Tropical Storm Francine. But it continues to threaten the region with life-threatening storm surges, strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Tropical storm warnings and tornado watches were issued across several states, as forecasts predicted significant rains and potential flash flooding in major cities including Jackson, Birmingham, Memphis and Atlanta.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries at the time of publication.
Hurricane Francine made landfall in southern Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm, bringing storm-force winds and heavy rain that caused flash flooding and the loss of power for more than a quarter of a million people.
Footage captured in Abbeville shows houses being lashed by rain with sandbags outside. Empty streets and bridges can be seen as residents shelter in place and trees are buffeted by the wind.
"It's just been a lot of wind and rain. We just lost power about maybe 10 minutes ago [...] Hopefully, we don't have no power too long," a local said.
With winds extending up to 40 miles from its centre, Hurricane Francine has since been downgraded to Tropical Storm Francine. But it continues to threaten the region with life-threatening storm surges, strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Tropical storm warnings and tornado watches were issued across several states, as forecasts predicted significant rains and potential flash flooding in major cities including Jackson, Birmingham, Memphis and Atlanta.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries at the time of publication.