Two storms head for southern US, forcing thousands to evacuate

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from areas of the Caribbean and Southern US as two storms hit the region on Sunday.

Storms Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura have damaged areas of Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. On the other hand, the heavy downpour has caused devastation in the US territory of Puerto Rico. Hurricane Marco is likely to cause landfall in Louisiana.

Storm Laura can hit Texas by Thursday. Forecasters say that the US state of Louisiana is likely to face two simultaneous hurricanes first time in history, as storm Laura may hit the state.

US President Donald Trump has issued a disaster declaration for Louisiana. He has ordered federal assistance to handle the relief efforts.

On the other hand, Laura has swept through the Dominic Republic, causing three deaths and leaving more than a million people without electricity. Five other people died in Haiti, including a 10-year-old girl.

A video of people climbing on top of short block buildings in Haiti to stay away from the flood.#Laura pic.twitter.com/on7rX1noCS

— Onz Chery 🇭🇹 (@Onz_11) August 23, 2020

Residents in Cuba have been evacuated and housed in shelters or safer areas.

According to the international news agency BBC, Marco strengthened to a hurricane on Sunday, with sustained winds of up to 75mph (120km/h), and is moving north between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The US National Hurricane Centre has warned that back-to-back hurricanes arriving in the US within days of one another could result in prolonged periods of hazardous weather. A warning has also been issued by the US Coast Guard for the Port of New Orleans and called on ships to make plans to evacuate some areas.