"Because I like them," she said. No, she wasn't exactly storm shopping, "because I've had enough. I hope and pray it doesn't come."

That seemed to be the mood across Edisto Island and the Lowcountry. People were watching Hurricane Jeanne but were almost resigned to one more storm after a summer of tropical weather.

The storm was forecast to arrive in the Lowcountry as an inland tropical storm during the day Monday while moving north on a line roughly along Interstate 95.

As of 11 p.m. Friday, maximum sustained winds remained near 100 mph, with little indication of weakening. The storm is expected to hug the Georgia coast after making landfall as a hurricane in central Florida early Sunday. It easily could ride the Southeast coast like a rail to Edisto Beach as a stronger storm.

"That's the worst-case scenario," said meteorologist Steve Wilkinson of the National Weather Service's Charleston office. "It all depends on the track. It's touch and go."

The inland track also leaves most Lowcountry residents on the side of the storm prone to higher winds, rain and tornadoes.

In southern Charleston County, some longtime residents don't talk in terms of Hurricane Hugo striking in 1989. They talk about Gracie. Dorothy Seabrook was 21 years old when Hurricane Gracie's fury tore roofs off the houses around her in 1959.

"Gracie was bad," she said Friday, pausing between tosses of her shrimp net into an Oakville tidal creek to stare at the clay-colored water and skies, a mullet and a few shrimp at her feet.

In the shade of sprawling live oaks on Edisto Island, Ray Mrllan sat with his 79-year-old grandmother-in-law, Lou Cinde, in the unframed sitting room he's building onto her house, near the stump he cut after a storm earlier this year.

He sat on the step. She sat on her rocker. Cinde, like churchgoers across the Lowcountry, has been taking part in a prayer chain in advance of the storms.

"I feel good about (Jeanne)," she said. "I worry about it because I don't know what it will bring. The Lord has all things in his charge."

With the flooring already damp from storms, Mrllan worried that a little more rain and wind could ruin the sitting room.

"When you listen to the news, it puts a scare in your heart. You don't have a choice. You have to fear the worst," he said.

An inland track for Jeanne would be expected to bring the Lowcountry 3-6 inches of rain, with winds 40-60 mph and stronger gusts during the day. Even with the inland track, the strongest winds could be along the coast.

"A lot of time, especially when they begin to weaken, the storms' strongest winds are over water," Wilkinson said. But he cautioned residents that the timing and strength of the storm could vary considerably depending on the track.

The National Hurricane Center's track Friday continued to nudge the storm to the west, and forecasters continued to stress watching the storm's progress closely.

While the erratic storm spins over the ocean, area residents will probably be hitting the stores today, stocking up on hurricane supplies if they haven't already done so. Previous storms have allowed stores and customers alike to stock up.

From plywood, batteries and flashlights to candles, some local hardware and grocery stores have plenty of items on the shelves and ready to sell.

"We still have a lot of stuff left over from the last time," said Marcus Grant, a customer service manager with Harris Teeter on James Island.

Generators and gas cans, however, are in short supply, said Craig Munson, store manager of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse of West Ashley.

The active hurricane season has depleted these goods. Most now are being shipped to Florida and other hard-hit areas. He said the store still is selling a fair amount of plywood, batteries and flashlights, tarps, rolls of plastic and sandbags.

Charleston area school districts had announced no Monday closings as officials continued to monitor the storm. Announcements of closings would be available in newspapers, on local television and radio stations, and on district Web sites.

In Charleston, two city meetings scheduled Monday were canceled because of the expected storm, and officials were considering telling non-essential employees to stay home.

On Folly Beach, Police Chief George Tittle said public safety employees are on notice that they might be called in. "We've had so many exercises that we don't have to do much to be prepared," he said.

Isle of Palms Police Chief Tom Buckhannon likewise said the busy hurricane season this year has left emergency responders well rehearsed.

Colleton County Emergency Preparedness Director Suzanne Gant urged residents, especially those who live on the beach, in low-lying areas or in mobile homes, to monitor Jeanne's progress over the weekend. Her colleagues in other counties did the same.

"If anyone isn't prepared to be without power for a few to several days, now's the time to do it," said Dorchester County Emergency Preparedness Director Ken Harrell.

The Charleston County Emergency Operations Center has not been activated yet, County Councilman Barrett Lawrimore said. "We encourage everyone to stay tuned for updates," he said.

Berkeley County told its employees Friday to be ready to roll, Emergency Management Director Jason Patno said. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said city officials were monitoring the storm closely.

Preparing for hurricanes has become a pattern for crews building the new Cooper River bridge. Crane booms have remained lowered on some spots on the job and piles of rebar and other building materials have remained secured in place following previous storm threats.

Still, workers were instructed Friday to begin clearing the site of debris and to move barges farther up the Cooper River toward the former Charleston Naval Base.

If Hurricane Jeanne does hit the South Carolina coast, the cable-suspended section of the road will be more secure than it has been for past storms.

Workers finished installing the bridge's hurricane tie-down system, an elaborate series of cables that connect to the bridge's road and give extra security in strong winds, earlier this week. Giant concrete slabs, weighing several hundred thousand pounds each, also are stacked on top of the roadway to help stabilize the bridge in high winds.

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