JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Tropical Storm Francine will potentially intensify to a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, make landfall in Louisiana, and bring storm activity to Southwest Mississippi this week.

Officials with Entergy Mississippi are encouraging customers to get storm ready, as the peak of hurricane season is expected to bring wind, flooding rain, and tornado threats into part of the company’s service area Wednesday evening into Thursday.

According to Entergy, crews and contractors are ready to restore power after the storm.

With a couple of days remaining before the storm makes landfall, customers should buckle down on safety preparations to minimize storm impacts as well. Review storm plans and gather essential supplies such as flashlights, a first-aid kit, important documents and medications, non-perishable food items and enough water for several days.

For households that depend on life-support or other medical equipment, it’s important to be prepared for unplanned, extended outages. While crews are dedicated to restoring power, Entergy advised customers to have a backup system and plan in place for relocating or providing a backup power source should power outages or other emergencies occur.