MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hurricane Francine continues to intensify in the Gulf of Mexico, with landfall expected along the Louisiana coast late Wednesday.
After landfall, what's left of the storm will continue to move northward, impacting Memphis and the Mid-South by Thursday and into Friday.
West Memphis, Arkansas, officials updated residents with the city's storm preps.
West Memphis Utilities said in a statement on the city's Facebook page they're getting predictions that the storm will "negatively impact" city and utility operations.
Because of this, West Memphis officials provided two hotlines for residents to call to report storm-related issues:
- To report flooding or fallen trees, call the West Memphis Public Works Department at (870) 732-7580 during business hours, or (870) 735-1210 after hours.
- To report power outages, call West Memphis Utilities at (870) 735-3355 (option 2).
West Memphis Utilities said they have "all available" crews standing by to respond to power outages, and they have trimmed about half of the city's overgrown trees.
The city also said they have crews from 14 municipalities around Arkansas standing by to help.
Since three to four inches of rain are expected, West Memphis officials said they expect storm water to enter into the city's water treatment plant, where they said they've pumped the overflow pond to its lowest possible level to make room for runoff.
"As a municipal utility, our primary focus is always the citizens we serve," West Memphis Utilities said in the post. "We are as prepared for the event as we can be, and we will respond in full force if the city is impacted. We will not cease our response until all our citizens have been restored to normal utility service."
The biggest threat from Francine in the Memphis area will likely be the heavy rain, according to the ABC24 Most Accurate Weather Team. Rain will begin to pick up late Wednesday night after 9 p.m. and continue through much of the day Thursday and Thursday night. Showers are also possible into portions of Friday as well. In total, many neighborhoods will pick up 2 to 4 inches of rain, but some areas could see up to 5 or 6 inches.
