Residents urged to look closely at Frances' eye

Warren Edward, Deputy Director of Greenville County Emergency Management talks about hurricane Frances Tuesday. e-mail this story More details What to keep at home: 10 gallons fresh water canned meats, vegetables and fruits ice chest and ice botled of canned juice manual can opener batteries flashlight candles matches non-electric clock portable radio masking tape hydrogen peroxide rubbing alcohol 12 gauze bandages 1 roll cling gauze bandage 1 box assorted bandaids 1 bottle aspirin 1 bottle eye drops clean linen for a sling baking soda/epson salts Milk of Magnesia

Gov. Mark Sanford put South Carolina's National Guard on alert ahead of the storm, and coastal emergency management agencies also went on alert. The governor received updates and participated in conference calls while attending the Republican National Convention in New York, said spokesman Will Folks.

Local residents are watching, too, especially those who have homes and loved ones along the coast. Greer resident Julie Ross and her husband own a home on Seabrook Island, where their daughter Evan lives while working in Charleston.

"We were planning to go Thursday, but we've put it on hold until we see where this storm is going," she said. "Maybe she will be coming up here."

Entering this hurricane season, it had been 15 years since South Carolina had been directly hit by a tropical system — Hurricane Hugo slammed the state in September 1989. Frances is a Category 4 storm and has wind speeds stronger than Hugo.

Now, there's a chance of a third landfall in less than a month: Charley, Gaston and Frances.

"People in South Carolina shouldn't let their guard down even though there have been two landfalls," said Sharanya Majumdar, assistant professor of meteorology at the University of Miami.

State emergency management officials urge Upstate residents to remember hurricanes are not just coastal events, especially strong hurricanes. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo still had hurricane-force winds and caused extensive damage through Columbia and Charlotte.

The track of Frances is still wide-open, as tropical systems usually are five or six days out, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center's projected track for the storm shows it could make landfall anywhere from Wilmington, N.C., to Key West, Fla. However, the center line of the predictions is moving toward South Carolina. Monday afternoon it was predicted to strike Vero Beach, Fla., but by late Tuesday the strike prediction moved north to near Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Majumdar said there is no way to predict where the hurricane will strike, so more than 20 million people need to watch the storm's every move and start preparing.

The danger in the Upstate is for tornadoes and flooding, which could occur whether the storm hits South Carolina or Florida. Tropical Storm Gaston caused flooding and spawned tornadoes as far north as Virginia Monday — two days after it struck McClellanville.

"South Carolina is not a big state," said Joe Farmer, spokesman for the state Emergency Management Division.

If you haven't already, it's time to create the standard emergency kit that every resident should have, said Warren Edwards, deputy director of Greenville County's Office of Emergency Management.

Frances was on every television monitor Tuesday, and the office was working with the Red Cross to check on the Upstate's hurricane shelters.

Upstate residents should take stock of emergency supplies, and keep in mind any relatives on the coast who might flock here for shelter, Farmer said.

"If you have aunt Minnie and four of her kids coming to visit you, you need more supplies," Farmer said.

At the very least, anyone traveling to the beach might want to revisit their plans, Farmer said.

• Staff writer Jason Zacher covers the environment and natural resources. He can be reached at 298-4272.