Southeast Louisiana began the cleanup process Thursday (Sept. 12) after Hurricane Francine swept through the region, causing major floods in several parishes and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
Francine made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday evening in Terrebonne Parish with sustained wind speeds of nearly 100 mph. The storm then moved northeast through the New Orleans metro area.
The National Weather Service reported a record 7.33 inches of rainfall at Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner on Wednesday. Jefferson Parish was particularly hard hit by heavy rainfall. Water from the storm overwhelmed the parish’s drainage system, overtopping drainage canals and causing floods in Kenner and Metairie.
About 400,000 homes and businesses lost power from the storm. By Thursday afternoon, 280,000 were still in the dark, including about 47,000 in Jefferson Parish and 43,000 in New Orleans, according to data from poweroutage.us.
While Entergy, the region’s largest power provider, has not yet provided a timeline for complete service restoration, Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May told reporters on Thursday that the outages were not “an Ida situation” where extended restoration times could be expected.
Verite News reporters have been driving through the area to see how the recovery is going so far. Here is some of what they’ve found.

Jimmie Jackson, an employee of Garden Doctors landscaping, clears debris near the corner of Canal Street and Norman C. Francis Parkway in New Orleans. (Photo by John Gray)

Nelson Ramirez attempts to move his car off a muddy neutral ground on Banks St in Mid-City. (Photo by John Gray)

Clothing dries on a fence near homeless encampments under the Pontchartrain Expressway overpass. (Photo by Bobbi-Jeanne Misick)

Robert and Kelly, who did not provide their last names, stayed under the Pontchartain Expressway overpass during the storm. The city was offering transportation to shelters for homeless residents on Wednesday. But Robert and Kelly told Verite News reporters that they worried their belongings would be cleared away if they left. (Photo by Katie Jane Fernelius)

Power lines dangle in Hollygrove. (Photo by Arielle Robinson)

Javier Lopez cleans his front yard after the storm. (Photo by John Gray)

Dina Jackson’s home on Olive Street flooded during Hurricane Francine. (Photo by John Gray)

Marla Stewart cleans debris that fell in her front yard on Gentilly Boulevard. (Photo by John Gray)

Doug Cardinale Jr. (left) and Doug Cardinale Sr. fix a storm-damaged fence at Cardinale Jr.’s house on Poplar Street in Metairie. (Photo by Drew Costley)

Corey Dupuis takes a break while cleaning his parents’ garage on Wisteria Drive in Metairie. The garage flooded as Francine passed through the area. (Photo by Drew Costley)

Emmie Wehle (left) and Corey Dupuis sort through items that were damaged in the garage of Corey’s parents, Mark and Glenda Dupuis, on Wisteria Drive after it was flooded during Hurricane Francine. (Photo by Drew Costley)

A downed tree on Melody Drive in Metairie. (Photo by Drew Costley)

Several homes on Wisteria Drive flooded during the storm. The water damaged floorboards, furniture, clothes and other items, which had to be thrown away. (Photo by Drew Costley)

Water pools in the Stutzenbeckers’ garage on Wisteria Drive. A water line on the door shows the extent of flooding caused by Hurricane Francine. (Photo by Drew Costley)

Discarded items sit in front of air-drying towels on Wisteria Drive. (Photo by Drew Costley)