Coastal residents most concerned about Ike

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- A hurricane watch remains in effect for parts of the North Carolina coast line even though Hanna is forecast to remain a tropical storm.

The hurricane watch was in effect Thursday evening from Edisto Beach, S.C., to Currituck Beach Light. In addition, a tropical storm warning was issued from the Savannah River northward to the

North Carolina/Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.

The warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within within the next 24 hours.

At 8 p.m. EDT, the center of Hanna was located about 580 miles south-southeast of Wilmington and was moving northwest at about 14 mph Thursday evening. Maximum sustained winds were near 65 mph with higher gusts. The minimum wind for a Category 1 hurricane is 74 mph.

Gov. Mike Easley has declared a state of emergency in North Carolina. Easley announced the declaration at a news conference Thursday. It's the first step the governor must take to seek federal funding to respond to a natural disaster.

Easley advised residents not only to be wary of Hanna's progress, but also to keep an eye on Hurricane Ike, which has strengthened to a Category 4 storm in the Atlantic.

The governor said people should be wary of the two storms for the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has called for voluntary evacuations in Georgetown and Horry counties as Tropical Storm Hanna moves slowly toward South Carolina's coast.

Sanford said during a news conference Thursday that three emergency shelters in those areas would be opened for residents needing assistance.

The governor says the storm will likely make landfall in North Carolina but said South Carolina would be ready to react if the path changes.

Earlier Thursday, the National Weather Service issued hurricane watches for much of South Carolina's coastline, meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.

The weather service says tropical storm force winds could reach the state's northern coast by Friday afternoon and tides could be up to four feet above normal.

Hanna is becoming less and less of a threat to the Charlotte region but the North Carolina coast remains in the line of fire.

Charlotte will be well west of the center of the storm. This region will see little rain, if any, and only breezy conditions.

AP Photo

Judson Syrett, 28, of Charleston, takes some pictures of waves after surfing on Sullivan's Island, S.C.

The First Warn Storm Team is forecasting about a 20 percent chance for rain in the city and a 30 to 40 percent chance toward Rockingham.

Winds along the coast will be in the 50-80 mph range. In Charlotte, we could see winds of 15 to 25 mph.

The storm should rocket past the Carolinas and be in Virginia by Saturday evening.

Hurricane Ike may end up being a bigger threat to the United States. By Monday morning, the NHC forecasts the storm to be a category 3 hurricane over the Bahamas.

Meanwhile, the remnants of Gustav have stalled over the Midwest and could move toward Charlotte, bringing the potential of a flooding threat on Monday.

(NewsChannel 36 contributed to this story.)