Hanna takes aim at Bahamas, Ike next in line

NASSAU, Sep 4 (AP) While officials from Nassau to South Carolina were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hanna, behind it, Hurricane Ike was gaining strength as it lumbered across the Atlantic as a powerful Category 4 storm.brHanna was just east of the Bahamas and heading northwest early Thursday, a day after knocking out power to the southern Bahamas.brIn the United States, a hurricane watch was issued for the area from Edisto Beach, S.C., north to Surf City, N.C. And a tropical storm watch was issued for Edisto Beach and south to Altamaha Sound, Ga. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours. A watch means tropical storm conditions tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.brHanna's winds increased to 70 mph (110 kph) Thursday. The tropical storm turned to the northwest Wednesday after lingering for days near Haiti, where it caused flooding that killed 26 people.brBahamas National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest canceled all leave for the Bahamas Royal Defence Force to keep soldiers on standby for disaster response.brI now urge the general public to take the necessary precautions, Turnquest said at a news conference Wednesday.brBut as Hanna took aim at the heart of this Atlantic archipelago, islanders were also tracking two other storms churning westward in the open ocean, including Ike, which rapidly swelled late Wednesday evening into a ferocious Category 4 hurricane.brAt 5 a.m. EDT Thursday, Ike had maximum sustained winds near 145 mph (230 kph). The National Hurricane Center in Miami called Ike an extremely dangerous hurricane.brIke was roaring far out in the Atlantic, 550 miles (885 kilometers) northeast of the Leeward Islands, and forecasters said it was too early to say if it would threaten land. It was moving toward the west-northwest at 17 mph (28 kph).