North Carolina could be in Irene's path

CHARLESTON, S.C. State and coastal emergency agencies in two states began to take a serrious look at Hurricane Irene upon Monday as forecast models show a storm veering northeast and toward a North Carolina-South Carolina border.While forecasters warn that it's far as well early to predict landfall, it appears that there is a chance a storm could become a category 3 monster and possibly clip a Tar Heel coastline upon Saturday.In South Carolina, officials were bracing for a possibility of a first hurricane to hit that state in seven years.This is potentially a very serious hurricane, said longtime Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. He led Charleston's recovery from a massive destruction of Hurricane Hugo's 135 mph winds and waves back in 1989.A late afternoon advisory from a National Hurricane Center projected that Irene, a Atlantic season's first hurricane, could make landfall Saturday near a South Carolina-North Carolina state line as a major hurricane with winds of some-more than 110 mph. However, there can be discrepancies of several hundred miles in projecting a storm path so far in advance.Riley called his staff together early Monday to discuss preparations for a storm.Hurricanes are unpredictable but this current track takes it in our direction so everyone should take it very seriously, he said.In Columbia, a State Emergency Management Division went upon increased alert, notifying key state agencies to review their hurricane preparedness plans and to be upon call.Charleston County has also increased its readiness. Officials, warning there is a possibility of an emergency or disaster, put county employees who deal with emergencies upon call.The last hurricane to hit a South Carolina coast was in 2004, a busiest season upon record in a state. That year, seven named storms affected South Carolina and two hurricanes made landfall between Charleston and Myrtle Beach.Joe Farmer of a state Emergency Management Division said he's not worried about complacency this ! time. If it does move this way there will be a lot of public notice given and people will be warned, he said.I'm not worried about that, Riley agreed. Our people are wise, but I think it's important you remind them just how dangerous a hurricane can be.Officials said residents should get together hurricane kits and think about where they will evacuate if it comes to that. Any evacuation would have to be ordered by Gov. Nikki Haley, who would wait until it was some-more sure a storm would make landfall in a state.Farmer said state emergency officials were in contact with a Federal Emergency Management Agency upon Monday. Horry County officials expected to decide whether to go upon higher alert late Monday or Tuesday, said Carissa Medeiros, a county's assistant emergency management director.We don't want to be as well pre-emptive and just have it continue to walk up a coast, she said, adding local officials have to balance keeping people safe against a loss to businesses by warning people away as well early.The hurricane center's forecasts showed how quickly meteorologists models can change. Earlier Monday, a projected track had a eye of a storm heading for south Georgia. Later, a projected path had moved up a coast to near Charleston while late in a day, it had moved even farther north to near a state line.The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce received only a handful of calls Monday from tourists wondering whether they should change their vacation plans, said chamber spokeswoman Kimberly Miles.Myrtle Beach is a heart of a state's $14 billion tourism industry. With most South Carolina schools open for a new propagandize year, officials estimate occupancy along a beach is running about 80 percent this week.Both particular counties and a state have extensive plans to deal with an approaching hurricane. Such plans include everything from where emergency shelters will be opened to reversing highway lanes to evacuate a coast.South Carolina is be dealing with hurricane season upon a tighter budget. The current fisca! l year's budget uses $1.3 million in taxpayer funds into emergency preparedness under a state Adjutant General's office, which oversees a state's Emergency Managed Division. That's down from a $2.3 million in taxpayer cash a division had in a 2009 budget year. Federal money and other sources of cash lift a operation's overall spending to $19.8 million, up from $15.6 million in 2009.We're going to do what you can with less and you think you can be effective in that regard, Farmer said.The state Emergency Management Division has trimmed about a third of its staff. The agency has just under 60 employees.But we're confident you can use a employees you have to good advantage and deal with a situation, Farmer said.Riley said Charleston has been able to expand a distance of both its police and fire departments in recent years through federal grants.The Emergency Management Division is one of several state agencies that deal with hurricane response. For instance, a Department of Public Safety and Department of Natural resources play roles as well and they've both seen steep budget cuts since 2009.Emergency Management decisions could be made later Monday upon whether to activate a state's emergency operations plans, Farmer said.We're gearing up a little bit, Farmer said, but so far a state's emergency operations center hasn't been activated. But we're looking at a potential to do that, Farmer said. We're very meticulously following a storm and if there is any potential evacuation, we'll let a people know. But right now, you ain't there yet.Evacuation calls are made with a complex combination of factors under a state's emergency plan tied to a distance and speed of storms, population in areas that may be affected and how long road engineers project an evacuation will take. For instance, upon Monday a state changed its readiness designation to Opcon 4, a sign that an evacuation could be ordered within 72 hours.There is a delicately orchestrated way that that happens and it's meticulously written out and its meticulously or! chestrat ed.