Tropical Storm Hanna Heads for U.S.; Ike Brews at Sea

By Alex Morales and Ryan Flinn

Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Hanna plowed over the Bahamas toward South Carolina after devastating Haiti, while out at sea ``dangerous'' Hurricane Ike was less than five days from possible landfall in southern Florida, U.S. forecasters said.

Hanna, with winds of 65 miles (100 kilometers) per hour, was centered 115 miles east of Melbourne, Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on its Web site at 8 a.m. Miami time. The system was heading northwest at 18 mph and forecast to accelerate and turn north before hitting northeastern South Carolina early tomorrow. Hanna may move through eastern North Carolina and Virginia, then hug the Northeast coast and move into New England.

Ike weakened overnight to a Category 3 hurricane, the middle of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 125 mph, down from 135 mph. The system was 460 miles north of the Caribbean's Leeward Islands and heading west at 15 mph. On that track, the center predicted Ike may cut through the Bahamas from Sept. 7 to 8 before slamming into southeastern Florida Sept. 9.

``The U.S. is getting pounded this season,'' said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ``The Carolinas will see winds near hurricane strength from Hanna. And Ike looks troubling, especially for Florida.''

Hanna devastated Haiti, which was recovering from strikes by Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay in the past month. The latest storm killed at least 136 people in the north of the island, Radio Metropole Haiti reported on its Web site.

U.S. Prepares

Gonaives, Haiti's third-largest city with a population of 300,000, is still mostly under water, Agence France-Presse reported. Almost 10,000 people have been evacuated to shelters, AFP said, citing the head of Haiti's civil protection office.

The situation in Gonaives is ``catastrophic,'' AFP cited Senator Yuri Latortue, who represents the city, as saying.

A tropical-storm warning was in effect for the northern Bahamas. In the U.S., a warning was in place from Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Chincoteague, Virginia. A warning means tropical- storm conditions, with winds of at least 39 mph, are expected within a day.

A tropical-storm watch was in effect from north of Chincoteague to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, including Chesapeake Bay north of Smith Point, the tidal part of the Potomac River, Delaware Bay and Washington. A watch means tropical-storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

Hanna's relatively large size and high forward speed mean residents in the U.S. warning area will begin to experience the storm's rain and winds well before the eye arrives, according to the center in Miami. Tropical storm-force winds extend 315 miles from the eye.

FEMA Advice

Residents in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina should develop emergency plans and prepare kits including medicine, food, water and batteries to support themselves for 72 hours, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a statement on its Web site yesterday.

Virginia declared a state of emergency yesterday, as did North Carolina Governor Mike Easley. Easley put 12 water-rescue crews, 270 members of the National Guard and 144 Highway Patrol troopers on standby to help.

``Everyone who lives in the coastal counties needs to be ready,'' Easley said on his Web site.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford urged residents in two coastal counties to consider moving to higher ground. Horry and Georgetown counties yesterday issued voluntary evacuation orders for residents of low-lying areas, according to their Web sites. Schools and county offices are closed today in both counties.

Charleston County closed its schools and said an emergency situation is in effect. Beaufort County also closed schools, while in Berkeley and Colleton counties, schools will close early today, according to local authority Web sites.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, Brunswick County declared a state of emergency, and closed schools. The counties of New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, and Bladen also closed schools today, according to county Web sites. In Columbus and Jones counties, schools were closing today from midday.

Hurricane Ike yesterday had strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane, prompting concern among U.S. forecasters and emergency officials.

``It's very unusual for a storm to explode the way Ike did,'' Jim Rouiller, meteorologist with Planalytics Inc. in Wayne, Pennsylvania, said yesterday. ``In a 24-hour period we went from a tropical storm to a Category Four hurricane.''

FEMA Administrator David Paulison compared Ike with Hurricane Andrew because like that storm, which devastated South Florida in 1992, it's compact and powerful.

``It could be very dangerous,'' he told reporters on a conference call yesterday. ``We're going to be watching it very closely.''

Tropical Storm Josephine

To the east of Ike, Tropical Storm Josephine strengthened slightly, with sustained winds at 50 mph, up from 45 mph yesterday. It was about 665 miles west of the southern Cape Verde Islands and moving northwest at 9 mph.

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

``We have enough supplies to meet these three storms,'' Eric Smith, a FEMA assistant administrator, said yesterday.

Progress Energy Inc., a Wilmington-based utility, said yesterday it would send power line and tree crews to coastal areas in North Carolina tomorrow.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net; Ryan Flinn in San Francisco at rflinn@bloomberg.net