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Hanna Vexes Eastern Seaboard

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The Associated Press

Published: September 6, 2008

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Tropical Storm Hanna cruised toward the Carolinas on Friday, forecast to hit land overnight and promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up the Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions of people.
Emergency officials urged evacuations in only a few spots in the Carolinas and about 400 people went to shelters in both states. Forecasters said there was only a small chance Hanna could become a hurricane, and most people simply planned to stay off the roads until the storm passed.

"My vacation lasts through Sunday," said Jesse King of Asheboro, N.C., who hid under a Myrtle Beach pier as winds picked up and bursts of blinding rain fell Friday evening. "They are going to have to tell me I have to leave if they want me to go before Sunday."

Rain started falling early Friday on the Carolina coast, with streets in some spots flooding by late afternoon and wind gusts hitting 45 mph as the leading edges of the storm approached land, making people gathered on beaches shout to be heard.

Hanna was expected to blow ashore early this morning between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, N.C., then race up the Atlantic Coast, reaching New England by Sunday morning. Tropical storm watches or warnings ran from Georgia to Massachusetts, and included all of Chesapeake Bay, the Washington, D.C., area and New York's Long Island.

Terry Hash arrived in Myrtle Beach on Thursday, ready to celebrate her 50th birthday with college friends from Colgate University at the Raiders football game against Coastal Carolina.

"I'm not worried because it's not a Category 4," Hash said. "I just love the beach when it's stormy. It really shows the power the ocean has."

As night fell and clouds gathered, residents and visitors flocked to the main beach at Atlantic Beach, N.C.

"I'm glad it's not as bad as they were predicting," said 84-year-old May Craig Kernodle of Burlington as she held her walker.
Several inches of rain were expected in the Carolinas, as well as central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. Some spots could see up to 10 inches, and forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said people in low-lying areas, mobile homes, camping trailers or places susceptible to wind damage should consider leaving.

In Wilmington, Kirby King, a 50-year-old Army veteran, arrived at a shelter in an elementary school housing about 140 other people, but said he did not think the storm would be bad.

"I've been married twice and been in the service 15 years. This storm doesn't scare me," he said.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials expected Hanna to move quickly but said they had supplies in place and emergency crews ready to respond if needed.

Hanna had maximum sustained winds near 70 mph. The storm was blamed for disastrous flooding and more than 100 deaths in Haiti. A hurricane watch was in effect for Edisto Beach, S.C., to the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Virginia line.

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