Thousands without power as Hurricane Francine strikes Louisiana

The entrance to Lake Ponchartrain Causeway is closed due to Hurricane Francine in Metairie, Louisiana (Matthew Hinton/AP)

Hurricane Francine hit the Louisiana coast on Wednesday evening as a dangerous Category 2 storm which knocked out electricity to more than a quarter-million customers and threatened widespread flooding as it sent a potentially deadly storm surge rushing inland along the Gulf Coast.

Francine crashed ashore in Terrebonne Parish, about 30 miles southwest of Morgan City, the National Hurricane Centre said. Packing top sustained winds near 100mph, the hurricane battered a fragile coastal region that has not fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021.