Hanna hits US coast with Hurricane Ike looming

MIAMI - Tropical Storm Hanna raced across the southeastern United States on Saturday, battering the coast with powerful waves, rain and wind as Florida and Cuba kept a wary eye on a dangerous hurricane.

Hanna, which killed hundreds in Haiti, crashed into the border of North Carolina and South Carolina packing winds of 110 kilometers (70 miles) per hour before weakening as it moved up quickly along the coast.

The storm's winds blew at 85 kph (50 mph) as it churned over Virginia, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in its 1800 GMT advisory.

The hurricane center warned that Hanna could trigger isolated tornadoes in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New York.

The storm was expected to produce four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain across the northeast from North Carolina to New York state. "These rainfall amounts could produce flash flooding across these regions," the center said.

Hanna could also produce huge, dangerous waves with a storm surge of one to three feet above normal tide levels, the hurricane center said.

The governors of North Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford called for people to evacuate two counties.

Several southern US states have endured a battery of storms in recent weeks, including Tropical Storm Fay late last month and Hurricane Gustav this past week.

Officials expressed concern that people along the coast were not taking Hanna seriously.

"The response is not what we would want it to be," Sam Hodge, emergency manager for Georgetown, South Carolina, told CBS News. "We feel there should be more people evacuating."

As Hanna pounded the US coast, Florida and Cuban officials were closely monitoring the more formidable Hurricane Ike out in the Atlantic.

Haiti's northern coast, which is still recovering from devastating flooding from Hanna, was under a tropical storm warning as Ike approched. But Haiti was not expected to get a direct hit from Ike.

The poorest country in the Americas is already reeling from the destruction inflicted by three storms in as many weeks, including Hanna, which has left more than 500 people dead.

Ike was on course to pass over or near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas on Saturday before slamming into northeastern Cuba, another island nation recently battered by this hurricane season's conga line of storms.

Florida Governor Charlie Christ warned that Ike could strike southern Florida by Tuesday.

"Ike has grown rapidly into a dangerous, powerful storm," Christ told a news conference.

"I urge all ... Floridians to use the next few days to prepare. Our ability to prepare now will ensure everyone's safety later," he said. We must be prepared, we must be smart, and we must be vigilant."

Densely populated south Florida, including the cities of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, has not been hit by a major hurricane since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 -- the costliest natural disaster in US history until it was topped by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Cuba, reeling from Hurricane Gustav, which damaged or destroyed 140,000 homes, was also on alert.

"Almost our entire country is in the danger zone," Jose Rubiera, the head of the country's Insmet forecast agency, told Cuban television.

Ike weakened a little before regaining Category Three strength, the mid-level on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, the US hurricane center said.

At 1800 GMT, the hurricane was 215 kilometers (135 miles) east of Grand Turk Island, the center said.