On Wednesday, Sept. 11, as Hurricane Francine hit Terrebonne and Lafourche, Louisiana, with 100 mph winds, southern shrimpers took advantage of the storm’s tidal push. Oil and gas companies hunkered down as they paused production due to Francine. Although some areas are still not clear, AccuWeather released their preliminary estimates of total damage.
As the storm pushed strong currents toward the shore, shrimp was also pushed inland. Shrimpers dropped their nets and pulled in thousands of pounds quickly. Though the catch was great, fishermen shared with The News Star, prices were low.
“We did good last night and the night before,” Jonathan Guidry told sources. “The shrimp was jumpin’ all over. They had some land nets on side of us. They was startin’ to pick up every 10 minutes, and they had maybe 120 to 130 pounds every 10 to 30 minutes.”
Guidry shared that because the floodgates were closed, he thought the shrimp were funneled through the Bubba Dove lock gate as they looked for shelter from the storm. American shrimpers have been struggling over the past few years as the prices have plummeted, mostly due to other countries dumping on the U.S. market.
The shrimp season began in August, showing good stock for fishermen; however, the prices have not been great. Guidry told sources that in the past years, he was getting $6 to $7 per pound for primarily large shrimp; however, this year, he has been sitting around $1.30 per pound for jumbo-sized shrimp.
Oil and gas producers in the Gulf had evacuated staff and paused drilling in anticipation of Hurricane Francine. The hurricane had shut in up to 42% of the region's offshore oil and 52% of its natural gas production, almost doubling the Tuesday estimate. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the port of New Orleans and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port were back in service without restrictions on Friday.
AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Francine in the United States is $9 billion. This is a preliminary estimate, as the storm effects are continuing to be felt, and some areas have not yet reported complete information about damage, injuries, and other impacts.
“Francine is the third hurricane to hit the Gulf coast this year, but this is the first hurricane to cause widespread disruptions to the offshore oil and gas industry in years. Our preliminary estimate factors in the cost of offshore platform evacuations and operation interruptions,” said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter. “Francine was a short-duration but extremely impactful hurricane hit to New Orleans. Persistent downpours turned streets into rivers. Wind gusts of 80 mph caused damage and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of families. It was an extremely dangerous and scary evening for millions of people along the Gulf Coast.”
