Some communities have issued evacuation orders, distributed sandbags and formed long lines outside stores and gas stations as parts of Louisiana and Texas prepare for Francine.

“The greatest danger is flash flooding and storm surge,” said Dina Knightly, senior meteorologist at weather.com, on Monday evening. “Isolated rainfall of up to 30 centimeters and storm surges of up to 3 meters are possible.”

Follow Francine’s trail here and get the latest weather forecast here.

What you should do now

If you find yourself in Francine’s potential path, Knightly says now is the time to take action, which includes:

– Stay away from the immediate coast and all dikes.

– Have an escape route ready and carry all medicines, cash, water and food with you.

– Don’t forget your pets.

– Charge your phone and share your plan with others.

(MORE: 5 things not to do during a hurricane or tropical storm)

Evacuations have been ordered in Louisiana

A mandatory evacuation order has been in effect since 2 p.m. Monday for the southern part of Cameron Parish, Louisiana. This includes the communities of Hackberry, Johnson Bayou, Holly Beach, Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier and Big Lake. The parish is located on the Gulf Coast on the state border with Texas.

People in Grand Isle, Louisiana, were told to evacuate trailers, RVs and boats, and everyone else was advised to evacuate voluntarily. Located about 50 miles south of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish, Grand Isle is the state’s only inhabited barrier island.

If these names sound familiar, it’s because they’re associated with hurricanes. Cameron Parish, in particular, has been hit by several storms, including the devastating Hurricane Laura in 2020. Most recently, parts of the region were flooded by Hurricane Beryl in July.

(MORE: The strongest hurricanes in America were tropical storms, just three days before arriving in the USA)

Power outages could cause problems

Energy, Louisiana’s largest electricity provider, warned its 1.3 million customers in the state to prepare for power outages.

“We urge our customers to take the potential for severe weather seriously and be prepared,” said Steven Benyard, vice president of reliability for Entergy in Louisiana, in a news release. “Now is not the time to let your guard down – please take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your family and home.”

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the Texas power grid, said local outages are possible.

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Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico affected

Reuters reported that oil and gas companies evacuated their staff and limited production ahead of the storm. The U.S. government’s offshore waters in the Gulf produce about 15 percent of all U.S. crude oil and two percent of natural gas production.

That has already had a potential impact on consumers. Crude oil prices rose on Monday on concerns about disruptions from the storm. Natural gas futures fell because power outages could reduce demand.

(MORE: Category 1 hurricanes are dangerous despite their classification)

F​rancine comes at just the right time

The storm comes at a time when hurricane season is historically at its peak. Historically, the Atlantic Basin has seen more hurricanes and named storms on September 10 than any other day.

Although there has been a slight lull in activity over the past few weeks, we have been keeping an eye on at least two more tropical disturbances since Monday night.

(MORE: “Domestic” hurricanes usually pose the greatest threat)

Reporter from Weather.com Jan Childs covers breaking news and features on weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.