Claims News Service, Sept. 4, 3:57 p.m. -- Having barreled its way through the Bahamas, Tropical Storm Hanna is headed for the U.S. coast. In anticipation of the storm, North and South Carolina as well as Georgia have activated their emergency centers, and adjusters should be ready to cover the Gulf and Atlantic coasts as early as this weekend.

As of 2 p.m. today, Hanna was located approximately 670 miles south-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storm is progressing in a northwesterly direction at about 12 miles per hour and generating winds at close to 70 miles per hour. Now classified as a large tropical cyclone, Hanna will likely gain momentum and become a Category-1 hurricane prior to reaching the U.S. near the border between North and South Carolina at some point during the daytime or evening hours on Friday, September 5.

Today, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford urged residents of two northeast counties -- Horry and Georgetown -- to evacuate immediately. Emergency officials in South Carolina were also reportedly preparing to deploy National Guard troops along the coast, while coastal residents moved boats and booked hotel rooms farther inland. In Charleston, workers began boarding up buildings on Wednesday as firefighters filled sandbags and distributed them among residents and business owners.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley declared a State of Emergency in advance of Storm Hanna's imminent approach to the state's coastline because Hurricane Ike is likely to threaten the state next week. Easley issued state and local agencies to cooperate in implementing the North Carolina Emergency Operations Plan and announced the activation of the Governor's Emergency Bilingual Hotline, which begins on Friday at 10 a.m. In addition, he activated as many as 270 members of the National Guard and 12 of the state's 25 Swift Water Rescue Teams for the central and eastern portions of the state.

"Since [Hanna's] exact path is uncertain, everyone who lives in the coastal counties needs to be ready," Easley said. "If you do not have your emergency supplies kit together and your emergency plan in place, then there is no time to wait. Please act now."

According to the NHC, a hurricane watch is in effect from Surf City in North Carolina, southwestward to north of Edisto Beach in South Carolina. Additionally, a tropical storm watch is in effect from Edisto Beach, southwestward to Altamaha in South Georgia. Swells from Hanna are expected to increase the risk of dangerous riptides along portions of the southeastern U.S. coastline over the next couple of days.

Guy Carpenter's Instrat(R) unit has produced a CAT-i report about the storm. As more information becomes available, the organization will update the report, which is posted on its Cat Central site.

Click here to download the latest report.

Interested in more catastrophe news and in-depth articles? Head over to Claims' catastrophe channel for more information.

Special Reports /

Hanna Expected To Hit U.S. Coast Friday

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