Francine did not pose a particularly severe test of the New Orleans region's ability to handle stormwater, but the results were not reassuring.

The New Orleans City Council is pressing for utilities to provide faster and more simplified emergency messages to residents during storms. Why it matters: Council members say there is much to learn from the response to Hurricane Francine.

Gulf Coast residents are cleaning up the mess left by Francine, which struck Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane.