MORGAN CITY, La. — Hurricane Francine barreled toward Louisiana on Sept. 11, strengthening to a Category 2 storm that could bring deadly storm surge to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Francine is expected to lash parts of the Gulf Coast with powerful winds and heavy rain as it heads for a Sept. 11 landfall as a full-blown hurricane.

Florida has started to dig out from the aftermath of Idalia, which weakened to a tropical storm even as it brought heavy rain across Georgia and the Carolinas.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall Aug. 30 in Florida as a Category 3 storm and unleashed devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast.

Florida and four other states issued emergency waivers for commercial motor vehicles that remain in effect for varying periods up to a month to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia.

Florida is facing a potential squeeze on fuel supplies as shipments into the state slow just as demand is rising from consumers preparing for the threat of a major hurricane.

After predicting a “near-normal” hurricane season in May, experts now expect an above-average number of storms, as record-high ocean temperatures create favorable hurricane conditions.

South Florida is now in the forecast cone for Subtropical Storm Nicole, which is forecast to be near hurricane strength, or possibly a hurricane, by midweek, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory.

Amazon had donated more than 1.5 million items for victims of the Category 4 storm that hit Florida in early October to charities like the Red Cross and South Florida disaster nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission.

Trucking companies, government entities and nonprofit groups responded to the devastation wrought along Florida’s Gulf Coast by Hurricane Ian last month with relief efforts for the many areas affected by the storm, and are working to overcome challenges in getting aid to those in need.