Tropical Storm Hanna Set To Soak US East Coast

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (AP) — Preparations for Tropical Storm Hanna are under way in oceanside communities up and down the East Coast.

Tropical storm watches and warnings run from Georgia all the way to Rhode Island. They include the entire Chesapeake Bay; Washington, D.C., and Long Island.

In Washington, emergency officials are stockpiling sand bags and removing debris from catch basins. Portable pumps and generators are being place in low-lying neighborhoods prone to flooding.

With as much as 10 inches of rain possible in some locations, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley warns “this is not going to be a coastal issue.”

While emergency shelters have been opened in the Carolinas and beachgoers head inland, the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, says there’s no reason to flee his town. Mayor Joseph Riley says residents should stay inside and protect themselves, but the city “will get through this just fine.”