Hurricane Francine slammed the Louisiana coast on Wednesday with destructive 100-mph winds and a dangerous storm surge that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers in the Southeast and dumped several inches of rain that led to a rare Flash Flood Emergency.

In a devastating turn of events, Hurricane Francine, a ferocious Category 2 tempest, unleashed its fury on Louisiana on Wednesday evening, leaving a trail of destruction and flooding along the Gulf Coast.