About two weeks after Tropical Storm Fay crisscrossed the state, Florida is preparing for another possible hit.
Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning in anticipation of Tropical Storm Hanna.
Although the storm is forecast to make landfall in South Carolina, Peter Sheng, a professor in UF's Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, said he thought it was best to be prepared.
The storm could still change direction and hit anywhere between South Florida and North Carolina, said Sheng, who works with Florida counties in hurricane preparation.
"These forecasts could change," he said. "We cannot say Florida is safe."
Even if the storm is small, it could cause flooding in areas that are already saturated from Tropical Storm Fay, he said, such as the Santa Fe River.
The river, in northern Alachua County, remains under a flood warning after Tropical Storm Fay.
Other areas of Florida received as much as 20 inches of rain, Sheng said.
"If Hanna brings additional rain, this could make it worse," he said.
Danny Hinson, a planner for Alachua County Emergency Management, said the agency has been keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hanna and preparing independently for the possibility of another storm.
Hinson said Tuesday afternoon that he had not heard about the state of emergency, but that Emergency Management officials were already discussing possible school closings and shelter openings.
National Weather Service forecasts Tuesday showed the storm escalating to hurricane-force winds over the Bahamas, approaching the east coast of Florida on Friday and possibly making landfall in South Carolina.
Because the storm appears to be moving fast, Hinson said he's not concerned about rain.
Still, he said, Tropical Storm Hanna could bring winds between 39 and 55 mph, which could damage mobile homes and would halt school bus services.
"We're just looking down the road, looking at the track and wind swath, trying to determine what our plan is," Hinson said.
