Damage to homes and vehicles from Hurricane Francine will cost insurers about $1.5 billion, which is moderate by industry standards and not expected to make the state's insurance crisis any worse.

With hours to go until Hurricane Francine makes landfall in Louisiana, "the time to evacuate has now passed," Jacques Thibodeau, the director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said at a news conference.

The National Hurricane Center said Francine gained hurricane status about 350 miles southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana.

Governor Jeff Landry confirmed on Tuesday the White House has approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana.

After making landfall as a Category 2 storm, Hurricane Francine is estimated to have done around $1.5 billion worth of damage across its path of destruction in Louisiana and Mississippi.

I think that the primary insurance companies are going to be able to manage this event,” Temple said. Hurricane Francine is being described as a minimal impact storm for the