severe hurricane Francine left hundreds of thousands of people without power and caused widespread flooding on the Louisiana coast and then moving Inland it made landfall in Morgan City on Wednesday as a category 2 hurricane with Winds of 100 mph according to the National Hurricane Center a flash flooding emergency was issued for New Orleans after between 6 and 8 in of rain fell Francine has been downgraded to a tropical storm but retained Winds of up to 70 m per hour as it passed Northwest of New Orleans residents in eastern Louisiana Mississippi Southern Alabama and western Florida had been warned of a life-threatening storm surge a storm surge means there is a danger of water rising from the coastline and moving Inland in some places water may rise up to 10 ft several of the state's Coastal parishes are under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders some schools and colleges have closed