South Carolina to the North Carolina – Virginia border. On August 27, tropical cyclone watches and warnings extended as far north as Plymouth, Massachusetts; all were discontinued early on August 29. Florida and South Carolina Initially the storm posed a threat to Florida, where military officials kept abreast of the situation. Heavy surf advisories were posted from central portions of the state northward to Georgia, and the National Hurricane Center advised that swimming and boating should be avoided. The Mayport Naval Station ordered 25 ships out to sea in advance of the approaching storm. The Salvation Army was on standby in Jacksonville, prepared to act when needed. Hardware stores in the state reported up to a 75% increase in the sales of emergency supplies. Some computer forecast models initially predicted that the storm would move towards South Carolina or Georgia. Before the storm's arrival in South Carolina, researchers at Clemson University used Bonnie to test a new method of estimating the damage a storm is likely to cause. In the state, the South Carolina National Guard put about 1,512 men on active duty, 1,474 being of the Army National Guard. On August 25, the South Carolina Emergency Preparedness Division activated Level 1 operations, the highest of five levels. That same day, the State Governor declared a State of Emergency, calling for mandatory evacuations of residents east of U.S. Route 17 in Horry and Georgetown counties. Schools were closed throughout the state. Over 200,000 people were evacuated from those counties, of which 120,000 were tourists. About 6,000 sought shelter at schools in Horry County. In a survey, 12% of respondents in the state took traffic as a significant consideration in deciding if they should evacuate. On the Grand Strand, Bonnie was the first storm where buses were provided to help people evacuate. North Carolina and Virginia About 815 guardsmen were called to North Carolina, where they assisted local authorities with the extensive preparations, including evacuating 750,000 state citizens. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations were ordered for part of the state. The Outer Banks experienced extensive evacuations; at least 300,000 left, bringing traffic on highways from there to the mainland to a standstill. Active duty armed forces were set to support hurricane recovery missions, and four Defense Coordinating officers were notified. Defense Department emergency centers were opened starting August 21. Additionally, the U.S. Atlantic Command activated their 24-hour response cell. Soldiers, sailors, airmen,