Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser spoke with AccuWeather on the afternoon of Sept. 10 to discuss how the state is bracing for Francine.
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00:00Well, Tropical Storm Francine is our top story and is on the move heading toward Louisiana.
00:05Billy Nungesser is Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana and joins us now.
00:10Thank you for joining us, Billy.
00:12Good to be with you.
00:14Well, Billy, we appreciate you making time for us.
00:16What are your teams most concerned about with this storm?
00:20Well, slow moving, gaining speed, you know, just like Laura that hit Lake Charles.
00:26Um, it got so strong, so quick, close to shore.
00:29A lot of people weren't prepared, didn't evacuate, didn't heave the warnings.
00:34Now, hopefully everyone has heaved the warnings as they continue to project
00:38higher storm surge and stronger winds as it gets closer to shore.
00:44The problem is this storm is jockeyed to the east and is going to hit a part of Louisiana
00:50that hasn't taken a direct hit in a few years.
00:52So every year you go without a major storm, people get a little less
00:57prepared and a little less willing to leave and really prepare for the worst.
01:02And hopefully everyone has heaved the governor's warnings
01:06and is getting out of the low-lying areas where we're expecting storm surge.
01:11Lieutenant Governor, how has the state's long-term disaster prepared this planning?
01:15You guys have had a lot of experience over the past half a decade or so,
01:18especially back around 2020.
01:19How has that helped in planning for the current situation?
01:23Well, the billions of dollars in levees and lock systems that have been improved and put in place
01:28surely give us a fighting chance to this size storm to keep all those floodwaters outside the levees.
01:36There are a few gaps that haven't been brought up to what we would like to see,
01:40but for the most part we have a lot better improved.
01:44And a lot of the homes have been raised, not to the amount we need
01:47to ride out of a storm that would flood a certain area,
01:51but surely the protection is a lot better than in past years.
01:55Since Katrina, there's been a lot of improvements done across all of Louisiana.
02:00We still have a long way to go before we don't have to hold our breath for a Category 2 storm
02:05like this.
02:07And what plans are in place to mitigate the economic impact of the hurricane in the state?
02:12Well, it's always a hit to the economy.
02:15Of course, the people and the debris removal, and it's a boost to those people going to work
02:21in that industry, unfortunately, after a storm.
02:24But obviously, business has stopped and it costs the state money and all the companies involved
02:30up and down the Mississippi River and all the plants all across
02:34will surely feel the economic impact of this storm shutting down.
02:39Hopefully, we'll get through it by the end of tomorrow night
02:43and into Thursday, and we'll see things open back up,
02:47hopefully with minimal damage, so we can get back to normal quickly.
02:52My final question for you, Lieutenant Governor.
02:54Obviously, depending on certain places geographically, some areas are easier to reach,
02:59easier to evacuate.
03:00People might be in different socioeconomic conditions than in other areas.
03:04So some of these areas that are a little more vulnerable, especially the bayous,
03:08some areas that may be near the coastline, how are you able to help them?
03:12And do you have emergency management involved with trying to reach those areas ahead of time?
03:17Absolutely.
03:18The Governor's got a great team, and each parish has a team as well.
03:22And then, of course, you know the Cajun Navy, those folks are ready to go in.
03:26For the people that didn't hear the warning and get out of those low-lying areas,
03:30for anyone that stayed behind, they'll be ready to go in and make rescues.
03:34But we hope we've been through this enough.
03:37All the people in those areas prone to flooding have heaved the warning and gotten out.
03:42All the parishes along the coast have opened shelters and safe areas for people in trailers
03:47or don't feel safe in their home.
03:49So hopefully, the majority of the people have gotten out,
03:52and the minimum rescue will be necessary after the storm.
03:57Louisiana's Lieutenant Governor Billy Dungesser, thanks so much for your time.
04:01Again, we wish you the best across the whole state of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast here
04:04over the next 36 hours.
04:06Thank you, my friend.
04:08All right.
04:08Thank you, Billy.
04:09And we appreciate him making time for us.
04:11He's been on the network many times with us over the past few years,
04:14and always good insight there from the state of Louisiana.
04:17So here we are in Louisiana, and here we have Texas.
04:20Again, it's a slow-moving storm, but forward motion has been increasing slightly.