Southeast Braces for Hanna as Ike Strengthens

Markey Johnson from Carrboro, N.C., stands on the Fifth Street beach access stairway during high...

Markey Johnson from Carrboro, N.C., stands on the Fifth Street beach access stairway during high tide as waves powered by a far off Tropical Storm Hanna pound the rocks, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008 in St. Simons Island, Ga. Officials along the southern Atlantic coast held off ordering evacuations Wednesday amid uncertainty about where Tropical Storm Hanna might come ashore and how strong it will be when it gets there.

(Chris Viola/The Florida Times-Union/AP Photo)
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Some Southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland Thursday as Tropical Storm Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina to Maine.

Meanwhile, disaster planners eyed ferocious-looking Hurricane Ike strengthening in the Atlantic. And with power outages and problems from Hurricane Gustav lingering in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and relief groups found themselves juggling three storms.

Rain and wind from Hanna could start as early as Friday night in the South, where some residents shuttered houses and stocked up on food and sandbags, coastal parks closed, and schools canceled events and changed sports schedules. Tropical storm watches and warnings were issued from Georgia to near Atlantic City, N.J.

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Forecasters expected Hanna to strengthen only slightly before making landfall early Saturday, though hurricane watches remained for much of coastal North and South Carolina.

The governors of Virginia and North Carolina declared states of emergency. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley urged residents to pay attention because Hanna's path could change.

"No, you're not in the clear if you're not in the track we talked about today," he said. "You're in the clear after the storm goes through and didn't bother you."

In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford urged people to leave flood-prone areas and mobile homes in two northern counties by Friday afternoon.

Still, some scoffed at the storm that has killed at least 137 people in Haiti. Instead, they turned to Ike, a Category 4 hurricane approaching the Bahamas. FEMA was sending hundreds of truckloads of meals, water and other supplies to the East Coast but also leaving resources on the Gulf Coast in case Ike heads there.

"Ike looks like it's a very, very dangerous storm," said FEMA Administrator David Paulison.

The latest storms come on the heels of Gustav, which had some Louisiana residents still without power and living in shelters several days later.