Hurricane Hanna Aims for Atlantic Coast

2008-09-02 21:12:08 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Top Stories, Weather)

Fort Worth, TX (WiredPRNews.com)—Hurricane Hanna, a category one, located 400 miles southeast of Miami, is projected to move northwest and hit the Atlantic coastline of Florida, Georgia and possibly the Carolinas by Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

The hurricane has already started to generate dangerous rip currents as far north as coast of North Carolina and Georgia, according to a Monday report from The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s website. “On Sunday afternoon, numerous rescues by lifeguards were carried out along the North Carolina coast and lifeguards along the Georgia coast reported several rip currents.”

Meteorologists expect Hanna to strengthen as Hurricane Gustav dissipates over Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. As of Monday night, the National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane warning for those in the Bahamas, as Hanna moves closer to the group of islands.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) “expects to be in full activation mode for what could be the first direct hit by a major hurricane on the Georgia coast in more than a century. That means making decisions about whether and when to evacuate, executing traffic control plans, and readying shelters, food and water for evacuees,” according to an Atlanta Journal Constitution website report.

As Hanna passes over the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center expects it to dump four to eight inches of rain and deliver a three to five foot storm surge above the current tide levels.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/09/01/hanna_georgia_prepares.html

http://www.ajc.com/green/content/metro/stories/2008/08/31/tropical_storm_hanna.html

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT3+shtml/012050.shtml