Waiting for hurricanes

By Staff Reports

Here we go again. Look out, because Hanna's on the way.

After watching Hurricane Gustav batter Louisiana, residents of the southern Atlantic are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Hanna sometime early Saturday. Where she will come ashore still is up in the air, but forecasters have tentatively predicted the storm will hit somewhere along the South Carolina or North Carolina coasts.

Anyone who suffered through Hurricane Hugo in 1989 is likely to take the possibility of another storm like that very seriously. Many York County residents went to bed that night nearly a decade ago reassured that even if Hugo slammed into Charleston as expected, all we would experience this far north would be heavy rainfall.

Instead, we awoke to devastation, trees toppled, no electrical power, punctured roofs and debris everywhere. Many were without power for over a week, and many more were cleaning up after Hugo for months.

Those who experienced Hugo's fury also learned the hard way about how to prepare for such a storm. Stock water, check the portable generator, know how to get your hands on a chainsaw and have enough food on hand to last at least a few days.

And it would be a good idea to go over the checklist today so that you aren't part of a mob searching grocery shelves for the last loaf of bread or carton of bottled water tomorrow.

And if Hanna fails to materialize as a serious storm? Well, that would be great. Maybe we'll just get some much-needed rain.

But don't be overconfident. Ike and Josephine are waiting in the wings.