Charley spared us

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Luckily, Hurricane Charley largely spared South Carolina as a weaker version of the storm that leveled Florida's Gulf Coast hit near McClellanville on Saturday. While there was some flooding, downed power lines and property damage estimated at $4.6 million here, Florida, which absorbed Charley's biggest punch, suffered 19 deaths and $15 billion in property damage.

Both experiences — the devastation in Florida and South Carolina's lighter brush with Charley — support the wisdom of clearing the coast even when doing so means possibly erring on the side of caution.

Technological advances in tracking weather patterns since Hurricane Hugo pummeled the South Carolina coast 15 years ago are far better at predicting the strength and path of hurricanes. This gives local and state government more time for decisions to minimize damage. It also minimizes error. But ultimately, Gov. Mark Sanford's alternating between mandatory and voluntary evacuation proved a wise precaution.

It is also encouraging to see the evacuation went smoothly. The exercise was unlike the 1999 Hurricane Floyd evacuation. Bad planning and poor execution then created South Carolina's longest traffic jam. Thousands of motorists sat idle and frustrated as the bad weather bore down. Reforms that stemmed from that debacle allowed about 30,000 residents and 150,000 tourists to leave the Grand Strand area quickly and orderly.

Meteorologists predict this will be an especially active hurricane season. There will be more evacuation calls to make, and early, decisive action is necessary.