Lots of rain, some flooding as Hanna heads inland

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More on Hanna

Updated 10:20 a.m.

By WHITNEY WOODWARD
Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna blew hard and dumped rain in eastern North Carolina and Virginia Saturday, but caused little damage beyond isolated flooding and power outages as it quickly headed north toward New England.
Hanna sailed easily over the beaches of Carolinas' coast, and emergency officials were already looking past it to powerful Hurricane Ike, several hundred miles out in the Atlantic. With Category 3 winds of near 115 mph, Ike could approach Cuba and southern Florida by Monday, as Hanna spins away from Canada over the North Atlantic.
"Hanna is heading north in a hurry, leaving behind sunshine for the weekend," said Myrtle Beach city spokesman Mark Kruea.
He said city services would be open and that "despite a week of preliminary hype" the storm didn't have much of an impact on the city aside from a few downed trees and some power outages that were repaired in less than a half-hour. It was the same story in eastern North Carolina, where Hanna had top winds of around 50 mph after coming ashore around 3:20 a.m.
Julia Jarema, a spokeswoman at the N.C. Emergency Operations Center, said there are reports of some localized flooding, temporary road closures and scattered power outages, but that officials haven't heard about too many problems.
"As the day goes on, I'm sure we're going to hear more reports of flooding as people get out and get on the roads," she said.
At least 1,500 spent the night in shelters and more than 60,000 customers - mostly around Wilmington, N.C. - were without power early Saturday in the Carolinas. In Virginia, 20,000 customers had no power. State police closed all northbound lanes of Interstate 95 just north of Richmond after power lines fell around 8:30 a.m.
And the Coast Guard closed all navigable waters in the Port of Hampton Roads, the lower Maryland Eastern Shore and the Port of Richmond, Va., on the James River.
Heavy rain fell in the Carolinas, including 5 inches in Fayetteville and the Sandhills region. The same was forecast for central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania, where some spots could get up to 10 inches. Forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.
"Fortunately it happened during the night, on the weekend. That would be a mess if it happened during the week as people are tying to get to work," said National Weather Service meteorologist Jonathan Blaes.
No rain fell to the west in Charlotte, where Tropical Storm Fay flooded streets and forced evacuations two weeks ago. To the east, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, the stinging sand and sea spray didn't keep 78-year-old William Cusick from getting up early to walk his dog on the beach.
"I don't see anything too exciting about this - it's not too serious," Cusick said.
The wind started to kick in about 2:30 a.m. in Morehead City, said Don Ogle of Newport, the night manager of a motel in the city along North Carolina's central coast. He said half of the motel's day crew stayed overnight.
"I don't know why. I'd go home if I could," he said.
Hanna started drenching the Carolina coast Friday, with some street flooding by late afternoon. People on the beach had to shout to be heard. By the time it reached the coast, the storm's top sustained winds had dropped to about 60 mph from near 70 mph while the storm was over water.
"All I've heard is wind, wind and more wind," said 19-year-old Dylan Oslzewski, who was working an overnight shift at a convenience store in Shallotte, N.C., about 15 miles north of the state line with South Carolina. Oslzewski said he had only had four customers compared to 30 or 40 on a typical weekend night.
By early Saturday, the wind howled with gusts near 50 mph and rain came in blinding bursts in Myrtle Beach. The lights flickered several times along some beachfront blocks and the wind was so strong that it made waves in hotel pools. Several roads flooded at the peak of the storm, including U.S. 17 in Georgetown, which was shut down for several hours.
But nearly all the flooding was gone before daybreak, said Georgetown County Emergency Management Division spokesman Greg Troutman.
"We lucked out. There's not much out there to report," Troutman said after daybreak Saturday. "But it was good to dust off the ol' emergency plan."
The storm also was causing some travel headaches. Raleigh-Durham International Airport canceled a few dozen flights Saturday morning. Amtrak idled 10 trains, including the Silver Meteor between New York and Miami, and the Auto Train between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla.
Hanna raced up the Atlantic coast, set to leave North Carolina by midday. Rain had started and the surf was picking up on the shore in New Jersey, and Hanna should reach New England by Sunday morning.
Tropical storm watches or warnings were issued from the Carolinas to Massachusetts, and included all of Chesapeake Bay, the Washington, D.C., area and Long Island. The storm has been blamed for disastrous flooding and more than 100 deaths in Haiti.
Expectations of heavy rain forced NASCAR to postpone Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race to Sunday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway.
Organizers of the U.S. Open in New York said they may have to reschedule some of the tennis matches after seeing forecasts calling for about 12 hours of rain and wind up to 35 mph.
For all the talk of Hanna, there was more about Ike, which could become the fiercest storm to strike South Florida since 1992 when Hurricane Andrew did more than $26 billion damage and was blamed for 65 deaths.
To prepare for Ike that could hit the U.S. by midweek, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was positioning supplies, search and rescue crews, communications equipment and medical teams in Florida and along the Gulf Coast - a task complicated by the hurricane's changing path. Tourists in the Florida Keys were ordered to leave beginning Saturday morning.
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Mike Baker reported from Nags Head, N.C. Associated Press writers Estes Thompson in Morehead City, N.C., Kevin Maurer in Wilmington, N.C., and Jeffrey Collins in Myrtle Beach, S.C., contributed to this report.

Updated 8:52 a.m.

By WHITNEY WOODWARD
Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna sailed easily over the beaches of Carolinas' coast and moved inland Saturday, blowing hard and dumping rain in eastern North Carolina but causing little damage beyond isolated flooding as it quickly headed north toward New England.
Emergency officials were already looking past Hanna to powerful Hurricane Ike, several hundred miles out in the Atlantic. With Category 3 winds of near 115 mph, Ike could approach Cuba and southern Florida by Monday, as Hanna spins away from Canada over the North Atlantic.
"Hanna is heading north in a hurry, leaving behind sunshine for the weekend," said Myrtle Beach city spokesman Mark Kruea.
He said city services would be open and that "despite a week of preliminary hype" the storm didn't have much of an impact on the city aside from a few downed trees and some power outages that were repaired in less than a half-hour. It was the same story in eastern North Carolina, where Hanna headed with top winds of around 50 mph after coming ashore around 3:20 a.m.
Julia Jarema, a spokeswoman at the N.C. Emergency Operations Center, said there are reports of some localized flooding, temporary road closures and scattered power outages, but that officials haven't heard about too many problems.
"As the day goes on, I'm sure we're going to hear more reports of flooding as people get out and get on the roads," she said.
At least 1,500 spent the night in shelters and more than 55,000 customers - mostly around Wilmington, N.C - were without power early Saturday in the Carolinas. To the north, the Coast Guard closed all navigable waters in the Port of Hampton Roads, the lower Maryland Eastern Shore and the Port of Richmond, Va., on the James River.
Several inches of rain fell in the Carolinas, including 5 inches in Fayetteville and the Sandhills region. The same was forecast for central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania, where some spots could get up to 10 inches. Forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.
"Fortunately it happened during the night, on the weekend. That would be a mess if it happened during the week as people are tying to get to work," said National Weather Service meteorologist Jonathan Blaes.
No rain fell to the west in Charlotte, where Tropical Storm Fay flooded streets and forced the evacuations of homes two weeks ago. To the east, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, the stinging sand and sea spray didn't keep 78-year-old William Cusick from getting up early to walk his dog on the beach.
"I don't see anything too exciting about this - it's not too serious," Cusick said.
The wind started to kick in about 2:30 a.m. in Morehead City, said Don Ogle of Newport, the night manager of a motel in the city along North Carolina's central coast. He said half of the motel's day crew stayed overnight.
"I don't know why. I'd go home if I could," he said.
Hanna started drenching the Carolina coast Friday, with some street flooding by late afternoon. People on the beach had to shout to be heard. By the time it reached the coast, the storm's top sustained winds had dropped to about 60 mph from near 70 mph while the storm was over water.
"All I've heard is wind, wind and more wind," said 19-year-old Dylan Oslzewski, who was working an overnight shift at a convenience store in Shallotte, N.C., about 15 miles north of the state line with South Carolina. Oslzewski said he had only had four customers compared to 30 or 40 on a typical weekend night.
By early Saturday, the wind howled with gusts near 50 mph and rain came in blinding bursts in Myrtle Beach. The lights flickered several times along some beachfront blocks and the wind was so strong that it made waves in hotel pools. Several roads flooded at the peak of the storm, including U.S. 17 in Georgetown, which was shut down for several hours.
But nearly all the flooding was gone before daybreak, said Georgetown County Emergency Management Division spokesman Greg Troutman.
"We lucked out. There's not much out there to report," Troutman said after daybreak Saturday. "But it was good to dust off the ol' emergency plan."
The storm was causing some travel headaches. Raleigh-Durham International Airport canceled a few dozen flights Saturday morning. No problems were reported at Charlotte-Douglas International and Piedmont Triad International in Greensboro. Amtrak idled 10 trains, including the Silver Meteor between New York and Miami, and the Auto Train between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla.
Hanna raced up the Atlantic coast, set to leave North Carolina by midday Saturday and reach New England by Sunday morning. Tropical storm watches or warnings were issued from the Carolinas to Massachusetts, and included all of Chesapeake Bay, the Washington, D.C., area and Long Island. The storm has been blamed for disastrous flooding and more than 100 deaths in Haiti.
Organizers of the U.S. Open in New York said they may have to reschedule some of the tennis matches after seeing forecasts calling for about 12 hours of rain and wind up to 35 mph.
For all the talk of Hanna, there was more about Ike, which could become the fiercest storm to strike South Florida since Andrew in 1992. That hurricane did more than $26 billion damage and was blamed for 65 deaths.
In preparation for Ike, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was positioning supplies, search and rescue crews, communications equipment and medical teams in Florida and along the Gulf Coast - a task complicated by the hurricane's changing path. Tourists in the Keys were ordered to leave beginning Saturday morning.
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Mike Baker reported from Nags Head, N.C. Associated Press writers Estes Thompson in Morehead City, N.C., Kevin Maurer in Wilmington, N.C., and Jeffrey Collins in Myrtle Beach, S.C., contributed to this report.

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Original story 5:59 a.m.

By JEFFREY COLLINS and KEVIN MAURER
Associated Press Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna buffeted predawn tourist beaches on the North-South Carolina border Saturday at the start of a run up the Eastern Seaboard forecast to dump heavy weekend rain from Virginia to New England.
Emergency officials were already looking past Hanna to powerful Hurricane Ike, several hundred miles out in the Atlantic. Ike, packing Category 3 hurricane winds of near 115 mph, could approach southern Florida by Monday as Hanna spins away from Canada over the North Atlantic.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hanna's center came on land about 3:20 a.m. near the state line with top sustained winds dropping to about 60 mph from near 70 mph while the storm was over water.
"All I've heard is wind, wind and more wind," said Dylan Oslzewski, 19, working an overnight shift at a convenience store in Shallotte, N.C., about 15 miles north of the state line with South Carolina. Oslzewski said he had only seen four customers compared to 30 or 40 on a normal weekend night.
Hanna started drenching the Carolina coast Friday, with streets in some spots flooding by late afternoon as the leading edges of the storm approached land, making people gathered on beaches shout to be heard.
By early Saturday, the wind howled as gusts neared 50 mph and rain came in blinding bursts in Myrtle Beach. The lights flickered on and off several times along some beachfront blocks and the wind was so strong that it made waves in hotel pools.
Vacationing friends Ken Prive, 17, and Armin Berkley, 18, from Concord, N.C., were swimming in high waves in the ocean after employees at their hotel kicked them out of the pool.
"We're good swimmers and we want to have fun," Berkley said. "Yeah, this is crazy, but you have to live life as hard as you can."
Police in other parts of the 50-mile-beach called the Grand Strand chased people out of the surf.
Emergency officials urged evacuations in only a few spots in the Carolinas and about 400 people went to shelters in both states. Forecasters had said there was only a small chance of Hanna becoming a hurricane, and most people simply planned to stay off the roads until the storm passed.
Hanna was expected to race up the Atlantic Coast, reaching New England by Sunday morning. Tropical storm watches or warnings ran from the Carolinas to Massachusetts, and included all of Chesapeake Bay, the Washington, D.C., area and Long Island. But a hurricane watch along the Carolinas' coasts was dropped.
The storm has been blamed for disastrous flooding and more than 100 deaths in Haiti.
As many as 6 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.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials expected Hanna to move quickly but said they had supplies in place and emergency crews ready to respond.
Utilities as far north as New Hampshire put electric and natural gas crews on notice they might have to work long hours to repair any damage. At the Ocean Edge Resort and Club on Cape Cod in Brewster, Mass., staff members braced for rain as they prepared for an outdoor wedding Saturday. "Hopefully it will blow out to sea and it won't even bother them," said Bryan Webb, director of sales and marketing.
In Washington, officials prepared for the possibility of flooding in low-lying neighborhoods by removing debris from catch basins, stockpiling sandbags and lining up portable pumps and generators. In New Jersey, 300 dump trucks hauled in sand to fortify a beach in the Strathmere section of Upper Township.
"These shipments of sand are a good thing, but if they don't work out, the people down here could lose their houses," said Tim Buckland, whose family has owned an oceanfront house in Strathmere for 50 years. He was at the beach Friday, playing in bigger-than-normal waves with his family.
Amtrak canceled some Saturday service in preparation for Hanna. Ten trains, including the Silver Meteor between New York and Miami, and the Auto Train between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., were halted.
Organizers of the U.S. Open in New York said they may have to reschedule some of the tennis matches after seeing forecasts calling for about 12 hours of rain and wind up to 35 mph.
For all the talk of Hanna, there was more about Ike, which could become the fiercest storm to strike South Florida since Andrew in 1992. That hurricane did more than $26 billion in damage and was blamed for 65 deaths from wind and flooding along with car crashes and other storm-related accidents.
FEMA officials said they were positioning supplies, search and rescue crews, communications equipment and medical teams in Florida and along the Gulf Coast - a task complicated by Ike's changing path. Tourists in the Keys were ordered to leave beginning Saturday morning.
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Mike Baker reported from Nags Head, N.C. Associated Press writers Estes Thompson in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Kevin Maurer in Wilmington, N.C., Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, N.C., Ben Evans in Washington, Bruce Smith in Charleston and Jim Davenport in Columbia contributed to this report.