(5 Sep 1996) English/Nat

Residents of Florida, South Carolina and Georgia are preparing for the onslaught of a hurricane threatening the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Hurricane Fran is expected to hit land around midnight local time between Georgetown and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

On Thursday, South Carolina residents were busy getting ready for Fran - hoping that it will spare their communities the devastation that Hurricane Hugo inflicted in 1989.

These are the latest pictures of Hurricane Fran furiously churning its way toward the eastern seaboard of the United States.

The hurricane is predicted to hit land at midnight (0400 GMT), with winds approaching 130 mph (210 kmh).

The people of South Carolina know how to prepare for a hurricane.

It's knowledge acquired by practice, in a region that has often become the target of violent storms.

Memories of Hurricane Hugo, which killed 29 people in South Carolina and left large parts of the state completely devastated, are still fresh on many minds here.

Thousands of coastal residents have fled inland to dodge Fran.

Hotels more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) away were filling up quickly after officials in Chatham county urged residents to voluntarily move inland, if possible.

For the county's waterfront and low-lying neighborhoods, the evacuation order is mandatory.

Those who haven't left yet are getting ready to do so, trying to secure their houses and other belongings as much as possible.

SOUNDBITE:
"We're just gonna monitor and see what the weather channel says - and at that point, we'll go inland if it's really bad."
SUPER CAPTION: Myrtle Beach resident

As the winds pick up, police go door to door to ensure evacuation orders are followed.

UPSOUND: (policemen at door)
"Hi, how you're doing, we're with the police department - nobody's gonna be here ? That's fine."

The storm's effects are already building on shore, with rain bands and winds of tropical storm intensity whipping across coastal areas.

And officials worry that even if Fran only skirts the coast, the previous days of torrential rainfalls have left the area vulnerable to flooding and serious tree damage.

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