Gulf Coast residents brace for possible hit by twin hurricanes

Experts worry that the storm surge from the first storm will not recede before vulnerable cities are hit a second time

Published: August 24, 2020 7:38am

Updated: August 24, 2020 2:35pm

Gulf Coast officials are preparing for the possibility of being hit by two separate storms brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

As the storms move closer, residents in states including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas began evacuating Sunday ahead of potentially life-threatening strong winds and flooding.

Laura, the stronger of the two storms, is heading toward the southern United States from the Dominican Republic and Haiti. According to the AP, experts say Laura could grow even stronger before hitting the U.S. with winds greater than 110 mph.

Marco, which is making its way up the Gulf of Mexico, is fluctuating in strength. Sunday, it grew into a hurricane, but was downgraded to tropical storm by nightfall.

Weather forecasters say the storms combined could bring up to 2 feet of rain to parts of Louisiana and several feet of potentially devastating storm surge.