Gulf Coast of the United States
The storm is threatening to push up to 9 feet of sea water inland in the Gulf Coast region, with New Orleans squarely in its path.
Beta was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, 205 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday morning.
Rescue and cleanup begin post-hurricane as officials warn Gulf Coast residents they were still not out of danger.
It was the second hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in less than three weeks and the latest blow in one of the busiest hurricane seasons ever recorded.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The Category 1 storm may also dump up to 2 feet of rain on the region and spawn tornadoes.
Forecasters say Tropical Storm Sally is expected to become a hurricane on Monday and reach shore by early Tuesday.
Officials in the New Orleans area issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas outside of levee protection.
The National Hurricane Center projected that Laura will become a Category 3 hurricane before landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
The Gulf Coast braced for a history-making onslaught from the twin storms, with many evacuees recalling the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
It could be the first time two hurricanes form in the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously, according to records dating to at least 1900.