William Winn, Beaufort County Emergency Management director, said the department is reviewing its emergency procedures, including evacuation plans, to make sure they have the proper people in place.
"With this significant of a storm and the potential threat to the East Coast, we're always worried," Winn said.
Frances packed sustained winds of about 140 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane, as it spun about 270 miles east of Grand Turk Island as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The last Category 4 storm to impact the South Carolina coast was Hurricane Hugo in 1989, said Sid Gaulden, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.
The prospect for devastation wasn't lost on Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., whose city was hammered by Hugo's 135 mph winds on Sept. 22, 1989.
"This is a very, very serious and a potential killer hurricane," Riley said. "It appears it's going to make landfall somewhere. It appears it is not going out to sea."
The potential five-day track area for Frances included the entire state of South Carolina and most of Georgia.
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center predicted late Tuesday night that the storm would come ashore near Melbourne, Fla., on Saturday. But the forecast warned that track errors for five-day forecasts average 375 miles.
Members of the South Carolina National Guard were put on alert that they might be needed for evacuations Labor Day weekend if Frances takes aim at the state.
The state Department of Public Safety planned media briefings in Charleston and Beaufort today to remind residents about plans for lane reversals for hurricane evacuations.
The state and both Beaufort and Jasper counties are operating under Operation Condition 4 in anticipation of Frances. The condition means area agencies involved with emergency operations should notify their employees of the storm's status and review their plans.
Chuck Hoelle, deputy town manager for Hilton Head Island, said Tuesday the town was reviewing plans such as those to evacuate Town Hall officials to Ridgeland.
"We need to start getting ready to pack up Town Hall and relocate vehicles," Hoelle said. "With the track being what it is right now, it looks like we may have to evacuate."
Hoelle said with the projected path of Frances threatening Florida and Georgia as well as South Carolina, the roads required for evacuation could fill up quickly as residents from all three states try to get away from the hurricane.
Joe Farmer, emergency management division spokesman, said the state will continue to monitor the storm.
"It is a storm to pay attention to," Farmer said. "When you plan your holiday weekend this weekend, do it with the storm in mind."
Winn said even though the department has reviewed its emergency plans for several storms this hurricane season, each storm is different and requires reviewing different aspects of the plans.
"We want to be ready in the event that we've got to implement (an evacuation)," Winn said.
Lowcountry residents should prepare for the potential threat of the storm by reviewing their evacuation plans and recovery plans. They also should make sure they have pictures of the inside and outside of their homes in case they are needed for an insurance claim.
"Worry about it now when it's not too late," said Mike Hodges, Jasper County emergency management director.