The United States of America is under threat again this week as a pair of tropical gulf storms approach the coastal areas. Torrential rain, storm, and powerful winds reaching 70-80 mph will pass through the coast starting Monday. The Gulf Coast is now bracing itself for a week-long disruption in regular life. Marco and Laura, the two storms, are hurricanes with category-1 and category-3 warnings, respectively. Currently, Cuba is looking at their wrath, and the US is the next target.
The Path of Marco and Laura
Marco is a general tropical storm with its roots in the Caribbean Sea. It will reach the coast of Louisiana on Tuesday as a Category-1 hurricane. The storm’s strength is expected to increase slowly, but meteorologists say it will stabilize at 70 mph. After reaching the landfall in Louisiana, it will travel towards Texas.
Laura is more destructive of the two storms, and it will arrive in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. On Monday, it will start forming an eye after reaching Cuba. Laura will strengthen to a Category-2 hurricane before its landfall in Louisiana on Thursday. Therefore, it is more dangerous. Meteorologists expect Laura to destroy Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky also. The highest degree of the hurricane will be Category-3. However, the escalation depends on climatic factors.
Destruction from Marco and Laura Hurricane
The tropical storms are a double whammy to the gulf coast of the US. Therefore, there is not much time to perform restoration work. Laura hurricane is following Marco closely, and torrential rains will stay in continuation. Power restoration and rescue operations will take a significant hit, especially in Louisiana. The storm surge from Morgan City to Ocean Springs can be life-threatening.
New Orleans is in a grave situation because of its unusual structure. Even though the city is away from the coast, it suffers from drainage problems that cause flooding during rains. A colander-like drainage system is already present in the town for adequate drainage. However, in case of continuous rainfall, the city behaves like a bowl and retains water. Therefore, the residents of New Orleans are now on high-alert.
President Donald Trump is already ordering federal aid and encouraging the states’ heads to declare an emergency in the coastal areas.
Preparations for Marco and Laura Storms
The people of Louisiana are already queueing up outside the stores to purchase the essentials. In case of emergency, they will need at least one week of supply because there will be no time to recover once the storm hits. The successive blows of two hurricanes mean most businesses will be out of order for an uncertain period. Louisiana heat and Coronavirus are not making things easier either. However, the citizens of the coastal cities know the drill correctly, and they are well geared up.