Tropical storm Laura swept the southern coast of Cuba on Monday and is headed for the U.S., leaving 13 dead in the Caribbean and will likely develop into a hurricane. Marco, on the other hand, weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm but brings heavy rains and a possibility of tornados.
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Tropical storm Laura
U.S. National Center predicts that Laura would make landfall in Louisiana later this week, and it could become a hurricane by Tuesday.
On Monday, Laura moved westward along the southern coast of Cuba, bringing with it torrential downpour and causing coastal flooding.
The wind gust was at 90 miles per hour in the early hours, with waves of more than three meters hit the Maisi area in the province of Guantanamo.
Roofs of homes were ripped by the high winds and fell numerous trees, but local authorities announced that there are no casualties.
In the provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, and Camaguey in Cuba, at least 160,000 residents were evacuated.
Before finally heading out of Cuba on Tuesday dawn, Laura will track near the capital Havana on Monday afternoon and is expected to landfall in the U.S. mainland late Wednesday or early Thursday.
The scary thing about Laura is that it could toughen to Category 3 hurricane with expected gusting winds of at least 111 mph before its landfall on Louisiana or Texas coast.
Aside from the strong winds, Laura will also bring with her heavy rains from eastern Texas to Mississippi.
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Damage of Laura in the Caribbean
The Hurricane Center predicted that the U.S. would have 25 named storms this year, making 2020 one of the busiest Atlantic storm seasons.
Torrential rains and flash flooding hit the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. In Haiti, nine people lost their lives over the weekend due to Laura.
Four people died in the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo, the Center of Emergency Operations in the country.
Dominican Republic President reported that an army corporal died while making rescue efforts in Pedernales province.
In Haiti, storms pose deadly risks to the country's poorest residents as many of their houses are located in at-risk-zones, near canals, ravines that are quickly swept by flooding and landslides.
Massive flooding from mountains in Petionville, near the capital Port-au-Prince, caused enormous damage.
Marco downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm
Marco, which was downgraded from a hurricane overnight, made landfall near the mouth of Mississippi River about 6 P.M. with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane.
Despite the downgrade, residents are still urged to stay vigilant as heavy rains will continue in several areas of the north-central Gulf Coast tonight. At least7 inches of rain are expected in some areas of the Gulf coast.
CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said areas that will be affected by rains from Marco would also get storms from Laura.
Preparing for the storms
On Monday night, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for Jefferson County, Texas, including Beaumont and Port Arthur. In Louisiana, a mandatory evacuation was issued for Plaquemines Parish and Grand Isle.
Relief supplies from Red Cross and 400 disaster workers are on standby to provide emergency shelters.
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