• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Hanna Stationary Near Caicos Islands

Posted on: Monday, 1 September 2008, 21:00 CDT

A hurricane watch is posted for the central Bahamas, southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, where Hurricane Hanna has stalled, forecasters said.

At 8 p.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center for the storm was just northwest of the Caicos Islands and Hanna had not moved much during the previous few hours. Little motion was expected during the next day or so and a northwest motion was expected to begin by Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds were about 80 mph with higher gusts and Hanna was a Category 1 storm.

U.S. response officials, during a briefing on the status of Hurricane Gustav in New Orleans, said they were preparing to respond to Hurricane Hanna in Florida, and North and South Carolina.

"We're ready for a response" to Hanna, said Rear Adm. W. Craig Vanderwagen, assistant commissioner for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in charge of readiness and response.

Hanna was expected to produce rainfall of between 4-to-8 inches over the hurricane watch area, with isolated instances of up to 12 inches through Thursday, the center said. Swells were expected to increase the risk of rip currents along areas of the southeastern U.S. coast over the next few days, the center said.

Maj. Gen. Don Riley, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said, "We'll make sure we have coverage" in Florida and the Carolinas.

Joseph Becker, Red Cross senior vice president of disaster services, said the organization was prepared as well to respond to Hanna.

"We're in a hurricane season," he said. "We're not just responding to one event."

Source: United Press International

More News in this Category