Francine packs a punch as it crosses Louisiana

>>> DPOGOOD MORNING. I'M FRANCES RIVERA. WE BEGIN IN LOUISIANA WHERE TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE IS STILL PACKING A PUNCH. THE CANALS HAVE OVERFLOWED. NOW MANY STREETS LOOK LIKE RIVERS. THIS RESCUE WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA. A GOOD SAMARITAN BROKE THE WINDOW OF THIS TRUCK TO HELP GET THE DRIVER TO SAFETY. AND FRANCINE HAS WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM THAT MADE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE. MORE THAN 350,000 POWER OUTAGES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. >> Reporter: NEW ORLEANS BEGINNING TO FEEL SOME OF THE STRONGER EFFECTS OF FRANCINE, THE STORM THAT NEED LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE AND NOW PUSHING INLAND, BRINGING WITH IT STRONG WINDS GUSTS OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR AND A DRIVING RAIN. SOME AREAS HAVE ALREADY SEEN SEVEN INCHES OF RAIN. AND THAT'S GOING TO INCREASE AS THIS STORM MOVES THROUGH. OF COURSE VERY LOW-LYING AREA, NEW ORLEANS, MOST OF THE CITY BELOW SEA LEVEL. SO THAT WATER REALLY HAS NOWHERE TO GO. IT WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD AND FLASH FLOODING, AGAIN, IS GOING TO BE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM HERE. EVACUATION ORDERS REMAIN IN EFFECT, OBVIOUSLY, ALONG THE CLO COASTLINE. WE KNOW ELECTRICAL AND POWER CREWS ARE WAITING AS WELL AS RECOVERY TEAMS JUST OUTSIDE THE STRIKE ZONE. AND AS SOON AS THIS STORM CLEARS, THEY WILL MOVE IN. THE STORM HAD PICKED UP SOME MOMENTUM, SHIFRTETED TO A CATEG 2 WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 100 MILES PER HOUR JUST BEFORE LANDFALL. IT SEEMS TO HAVE SLOWED A BIT. THAT COULD BE AN ISSUE WITH THE FLOODING PROBLEMS. BECAUSE, IF THIS STORM LINGERS, THOSE WATER TOTALS ARE JUST GOING TO GROW. THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A MAJOR PROBLEM. THE WIND IS SOMETHING YOU'LL HAVE TO WATCH. THERE ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS JUST IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA WITHOUT POWER. THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO GROW AS THIS STORM MOVES THROUGH. IT'S GOING TO BE A ROUGH RIDE HERE AND ALONG THE PATH OF FRANCINE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. I'M JAY GRAY, BACK TO YOU NOW. >> OKAY, JAY, THANK YOU. >> LET'S GET AN UPDATE ON FRANCINE'S PATH AND TURN TO METEOROLOGIST ANGIE LASSMAN WHO IS TRACKING THAT STORM. >> WE'VE GOT, OF COURSE, A WEAKENING SYSTEM HERE. A TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE WITH WINDS AT 50 MILES PER HOUR. IT'S MOVING NORTHEAST AT 14 MILES PER HOUR. BUT NOTICE WHERE THE CENTER OF THAT STORM IS, ABOUT 20 MILES FROM NEW ORLEANS. IT'S REALLY LOOKING TO WEAKEN HERE AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE RAIN THREAT IS GOING TO GO AWAY. WE'RE STILL DEALING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING ACROSS THIS REGION. WE'VE ALREADY SEEN SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. YOU HEARD JAY TALKING ABOUT THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THE DAY TODAY AND EVEN TOMORROW. IT STALLS OUT AND KIND OF BREAKS APART ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST, BUT THOSE WIDELY-SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE ACROSS THAT REGION. HERE'S THE FLOOD ALERTS NOW, 12 MILLION PEOPLE INCLUDING FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS CENTERED AROUND NEW ORLEANS. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL UPWARDS FROM A HALF INCH TO 3 INCHES. INCHES. LEXINGTON TO