Improvements in the hurricane-evacuation plans for coastal South Carolina, announced recently by Gov. Mark Sanford, are encouraging. They can't, however, totally solve the overwhelming numbers-game problem posed by the task of removing from harm's way a coastal population that has dramatically increased over the last decade.

As Sanford correctly warned, new lane reversals and access points to major roadways, while necessary, are not the most vital assets in this high-stakes mission. Timely departure by coastal residents is.

Enhancements of the evacuation plan, along with more Department of Transportation cameras to monitor evacuation progress and allow for needed adjustments along the way, won't make the trip away from a hurricane an easy one. But it should make it far less chaotic than the traffic snarls that clogged I-26 into virtual gridlock as Floyd threatened our state's coast in September 1999.

Those memories remain fresh for those who endured that ordeal. Hurricane Claudette's recent impact on southern Texas also serves as a timely reminder that coastal residents must do their best to prepare for the worst at this time of year. That means having a personal evacuation plan -- and understanding that the common-sense changes the state has made, while welcome, don't eliminate the need for early evacuation, rightly hailed by Sanford as "the Number One lifesaver and the Number One timesaver."