Rainy Hanna Heads Up Coast

Tropical Storm Hanna accelerated toward the New England states today after the storm's whipping winds and rain did not linger long enough over the Southeast to cause much more than isolated flooding and power outages. Hanna moved quickly inland after cruising ashore overnight with winds of around 50 mph. But as Hanna cleared out, eyes turned to Hurricane Ike—a Category 3 storm with winds of nearly 115 mph that was expected to strengthen as it approached Cuba and southern Florida by Monday.

"Right now we're just keeping an eye on things and making sure we stay ahead of the eight ball," said a safety official in North Carolina. "It's nowhere near as bad as it could have been." Heavy rain fell in the Carolinas, and the same was forecast for central Virginia, Maryland, southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, and New England. In Haiti, the storm has been blamed for disastrous flooding and more than 130 deaths. (More Hurricane Hanna stories.)