Local leaders in the cities and parishes in the path of the storm say they’re ready. In Morgan City, where Weather Channel reporter Jim Cantore is taking up temporary residence, Mayor Lee Dragna says they’ve been preparing for Francine’s arrival for a while now.
“We’ve been prepping for it for a couple of days. We’ve got everything backed-up for another back-up, whichever way we look,” Dragna said.
Mayor Dragna says the city has greatly improved equipment needed to drain the city.
“We linked a bunch of the canals together where these big pumps can basically drain the whole city. 80% of the city goes to one big pump station now,” Dragna explained.
In Terrebonne Parish, President Jason Bergeron says if the storm passes to the east, that would be very good news.
“Anytime we’re to the west of that eyewall, that eye, that water gets pushed up into our system, so anything that would be east of us would be better than right on top of us,” Bergeron said.
The current track of the storm will take the center near St. Tammany Parish. President Mike Cooper is urging people to take any and all precautions.
“I’m asking all residents to shelter in place, if that becomes necessary, or evacuate if you feel that you’re in an area that is in low-lying areas,” Cooper said.
Cooper is also urging people to stay off the roads as not to interfere with rescue and recovery operations.
“Please stay off the roads and allow our excellent fire districts, our local law enforcement agencies, our sheriff’s department, our EMS teams to respond to emergencies,” Cooper said.
