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Baton Rouge mayor declares state of emergency ahead of Francine

A Baton Rouge resident shovels sand into a bag at an area site on Monday, Sept. 9 ahead of Francine, which is forecast to become a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
Aidan McCahill
/
WWNO
A Baton Rouge resident shovels sand into a bag at an area site on Monday, Sept. 9 ahead of Francine, which is forecast to become a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

East Baton Rouge Parish is under a state of state of emergency Tuesday ahead of the expected arrival of Francine in Louisiana.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome declared a parish-wide state of emergency Tuesday, authorizing emergency measures and mobilizing local resources to assist with the response efforts.

"Our City-Parish team is Red Stick Ready. We’re actively clearing storm drains, restocking sand locations, and are fully prepared to respond to our community," Weston Broome said in a press release. "We ask our residents to do the same—take this time to create a plan and get your families and homes ready."

The move comes after Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order Monday, declaring a state of emergency for the entire state. The order allows the state to unlock additional resources and personnel to assist in the response to the storm.

City-Parish offices will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. The Metropolitan Council's meeting scheduled for Wednesday was postponed until Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Athina is a digital content producer for WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge. She edits and produces content for the stations' websites and social media pages, and writes WWNO's weekly newsletter.