KENNER — Gov. Jeff Landry said Friday that Louisiana was fortunate that no one died as Hurricane Francine crossed the state this week.

As a news conference at the Louis Armstrong International Airport, the governor and several other government officials said lessons learned in previous storms were paying dividends now. They specifically cited levees and programs intended to strengthen buildings.

"Terrebonne and Lafourche (parishes) didn't have any homes that flooded even though the eye of the storm came right over Terrebonne," Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said. He credited federal funding that helped shore up levees.

Landry said that, after flying over damaged areas Thursday, it was apparent that many homes survived intact.

"I can tell you the level of blue tarps we need in this storm is extremely minimal," he said.

The governor and congressman renewed criticism of the federal flood insurance program. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently revised how rates are set but the state officials said they now pit communities against each other because some regions have lower premiums. Those will high premiums often drop their policies, they said.

"Your rates should be lower in a more secure area, no higher," Scalise said.

Francine crossed the state Wednesday evening and early Friday morning — making landfall south of Morgan City and exiting northwest of Bogalusa.

"Certainly the Lord spared us. We have not lost any lives due to this storm," Landry said. "Our No. 1 priority is saving lives. After saving lives, it's about protecting property."

Landry said that, at their peak, there were about 450,000 power outages as the storm went through. The figure was down to about 83,000 Friday afternoon.