Hanna Heads Toward U.S. East Coast as Hurricane Ike Looms

By Demian McLean

Sept. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Hanna neared hurricane strength and threatened to batter the U.S. East Coast with heavy winds and rain, while Hurricane Ike charted a path from open sea toward the Caribbean.

Hanna, with winds of 70 miles (113 kilometers) per hour, was centered 60 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said at 11 p.m. Miami time yesterday.

``People have battened down things that could get blown around,'' said Mark Kruea, a spokesman for the City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. ``It's a good tune-up to ward off complacency about other storms, including Ike, which has the potential to be really scary.''

Hanna is expected to move across eastern North Carolina early today, then move along the mid-atlantic coast later, dumping as much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain by tonight on New York City and Washington, where a tropical storm warnings have been issued.

Although no significant change in strength is forecast before landfall, it would only take a small increase in wind speed for Hanna to become a hurricane, the center said. Weakening is expected after landfall and Hanna should become an extratropical storm early tomorrow.

Hanna devastated Haiti, which was also hit by Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay in the past month. The latest storm killed about 495 people, MSNBC News said on its Web site yesterday, citing Haiti's police commissioner.

Up to 600,000 people may need assistance in Haiti, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes.

Stockpiling Food

Across the border, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley declared a state of emergency in preparation for Hanna and Hurricane Ike, which is forecast to hit the U.S. East Coast within a week. North Carolina put 12 water-rescue crews, 270 members of the National Guard and 144 Highway Patrol troopers on standby.

The state's Department of Crime Control and Public Safety in Raleigh was advising people to store three to five days' worth of food and water, and to stay off the roads during the storm.

Amtrak canceled some East Coast rail service as the storm approached. New York urged construction sites to halt crane operations and asked residents to bring in lawn furniture and remove satellite dishes.

A tropical-storm warning stretched from Georgia to New Jersey, the National Weather Service said. Winds may blow at 39 mph or faster amid heavy rains.

Nascar Postpones Race

Nascar postponed its race at Richmond International Raceway in the top Sprint Cup Series until at least Sept. 7 because Hanna is threatening the central Virginia track. The track will be shut until then, Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz said at a press conference.

More than 110,000 people were expected to attend tomorrow's Sprint Cup event. The 800-acre complex has more than 1,000 camping spots that were filled with everything from tents to the $1 million-plus motor coaches used by the race teams. Recreational vehicles will be allowed to remain on the site, Fritz said.

Fans camped in tents were undeterred by the prospect of rain or flooding.

``We're here for the duration,'' said David Soule, a 39- year-old fast-food worker who drove 12 hours from Dansville, Michigan, for the race. ``We're used to snow and sleet. This rain and wind is nothing.''

Ike Churns at Sea

Out at sea, Ike churned as a Category 3 hurricane, the middle of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 115 mph and higher gusts.

The system was about 360 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island, and moving toward the west-southwest. On that track, the center predicts Ike will pass near or over the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas later today or early tomorrow. Ike is expected to be a major hurricane as it nears the Bahamas.

Hanna ripped shingles from roofs and flooded streets as it blew through the Bahamas this week with winds of 65 mph, said Stephen Russell, commander of the National Emergency Management Agency.

``We're mindful that what's coming is twice as strong'' as Hanna, Russell said by phone from Nassau. ``We know the devastation hurricanes such as Ike can bring.''

Residents in the southeast Bahamas -- where Ike is expected to land -- were warned to watch for storm surges, which could measure 18 feet (5.4 meters), he said. Shelters, emptied after Hanna's departure, will be reopened.

Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane, killed at least four people and caused $250 million in damage when it tore through island country in 1992. Storm winds topped 155 mph.

To the east of Ike, Tropical Storm Josephine weakened Further to a tropical depression, with sustained winds of 35 mph. It was about 785 miles west of the west of the Cape Verde Islands and moving west-northwest.

FEMA and American Red Cross officials said they will be able to respond effectively to Hanna, Ike and Josephine.

To contact the reporter on this story: Demian McLean in Washington at dmclean8@bloomberg.net.