Tropical storm climbs Eastern Seaboard, hurricane Ike close behind

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Tropical storm Hanna picked up speed yesterday as it cruised toward the Carolinas, promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up the Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions.

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jack Farmer pushes his scooter out of the deep water from a cloudburst ahead of Tropical Storm Hanna in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., yesterday.

Not far behind was a much bigger worry: a ferocious-looking hurricane Ike, on a path similar to the one taken by Andrew, the Category 5 monster that devastated South Florida in 1992. Ike could hit Florida by the middle of next week.

In only a few spots in the Carolinas did emergency officials urge evacuations or open shelters for Hanna. Forecasters said there was only a small chance it could become a hurricane, and most people simply planned to stay off the roads until the storm passed.

"If it was a Category 1 or 2, I might think about leaving," said Eddie Brown of Gastonia, N.C., who planned to spend the weekend at Myrtle Beach. "And I tell you, if it was Ike, I'd already be long gone."

Rain started to fall early yesterday on the Carolina coast, with winds forecast to pick up and grow strong by early evening. Hanna was expected to blow ashore between Myrtle Beach and Charleston overnight, then race up the Atlantic Coast, reaching New England by tomorrow morning. Tropical storm watches or warnings ran from Georgia to Rhode Island, and included Chesapeake Bay, the Washington, D.C., area and Long Island.

Some refused to cancel long-set plans to visit the shore. 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."

High tide came in midday and rolled all the way up to the dunes along parts of Myrtle Beach, drawing hundreds of people to gawk and walk along the shore.