Ahead of Hurricane Francine’s landfall in Louisiana and the eastward impacts it could have on Mississippi, officials in Hancock County have issued a voluntary evacuation.
The Hancock County Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Hancock County Board of Supervisors announced the evacuation process began Tuesday night. The evacuation includes the cities of Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead, Waveland, and other areas of the county.
“This evacuation is for all low-lying areas, residents living on rivers, river inlets, bayous, creeks, and in travel trailers, modular homes or mobile homes, homes under construction and/or partially constructed homes,” Hancock County Emergency Management Agency director Brian T. Adam said.
The voluntary evacuation in Hancock County comes after Gov. Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency to be able to deploy resources more efficiently to portions of the state that could see impacts.
So far, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has deployed over 100,000 sandbags to the southern part of the state. MEMA is encouraging residents who haven’t already done so to have a go-kit ready with food, water, supplies, and other important documents stored in a waterproof container.
For those not evacuating but in need of a place to weather the storm, the following shelters are already open or will open Wednesday morning:
- County Farm Road Shelter: 15308 County Farm Road, Gulfport, MS 39503 (opens 9 a.m. Wednesday)
- Lyman Senior Center: 14592 County Farm Road, Gulfport, MS 39503 (opens 9 a.m. Wednesday)
- D’Iberville High School: 15625 Lamey Bridge Road, Biloxi, MS 39532 (opens 9 a.m. Wednesday)
- Lobouy Road Shelter: 9505 Lobouy Road, Pass Christian, MS 39571 (opens 9 a.m. Wednesday)
- 361 Emergency Shelter: 5500 Ballpark Road, Vancleave, MS (opens 9 a.m. Wednesday)
- Kiln Shelter: 18320 Highway 43, Kiln, MS (opened Tuesday)
- Poplarville Community Saferoom: 124 Rodeo Street, Poplarville, MS (opened Tuesday)
- Picayune Community Saferoom: 501 Laurel Street, Picayune, MS (opened Tuesday)
Multiple schools and businesses have canceled classes for Wednesday with some already making plans for Thursday.
While Francine continues to barrel toward Louisiana and is forecast to hit Wednesday afternoon or evening as a Category 1 hurricane, potentially dangerous storm surges are expected from the mouth of the Mississippi River east to the Mississippi-Alabama border over the 36 hours following landfall.
