At 09:00 UTC on September 4 , a tropical storm watch was issued from the mouth of the Altamaha River in Georgia to Edisto Beach , South Carolina . Simultaneously , a hurricane watch was posted from Edisto Beach to Surf City in North Carolina . The hurricane watch was extended further north to Ocracoke Inlet , North Carolina , at 15:00 UTC on September 4 . Three hours later , a tropical storm warning became in effect from the mouth of the Savannah River in Georgia to the North Carolina &ndash; Virginia state line , which included Albemarle and Pamlico sounds ; the hurricane watch was extended to the Currituck Beach Light in North Carolina . Also at 21:00 UTC on September 4 , a tropical storm watch was issued from the North Carolina &ndash; Virginia state line to the Great Egg Harbor Bay in New Jersey and included the tidal portions of the Potomac River as well as Chesapeake Bay , Washington , D.C. , and Delaware Bay . On September 5 at 09:00 UTC , the tropical storm warning in effect from the mouth of the Altamaha River to the Currituck Beach Light was extended northward to Chincoteague , Virginia and included a portion of Chesapeake Bay . The tropical storm watch from the North Carolina &ndash; Virginia state line to Great Egg Harbor was northward extended to Sandy Hook , New Jersey , while the portion south of Chincoteague was discontinued at 0:900 UTC on September 5 . That tropical storm watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning at 15:00 UTC on September 5 . Simultaneously , the tropical storm watch issued at 09:00 UTC was extended further north to Watch Hill , Rhode Island . Around 21:00 UTC on September 5 , the tropical storm watch , which stretched from Sandy Hook to Watch Hill , was again expanded to the mouth of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts . Early the next day , the tropical storm warning south of Edisto Beach was discontinued , while the hurricane watch south of the mouth of the Santee River in South Carolina was also canceled . At 03:00 UTC on September 6 , a portion of the tropical storm watch from Sandy Hook to Watch Hill was upgraded to a tropical storm warning and further to the Merrimack River about six hours later . Thereafter , the tropical cyclone warnings and watches were gradually discontinued , until none remained at 09:00 UTC on September 7 . From Florida to New York , Amtrak canceled some train routes that run through the southeast United States . In Florida , Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency as Hanna initially appeared to be a threat . Governor Crist declined to attend the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul , Minnesota and remarked that , " We 've got a lot coming at us , and I think it 's important to be here ... I have n't been in communication with anyone at the RNC ... Our focus needs to stay on these storms . " The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) also announced that the movement of the Space Shuttle Atlantis to the launchpad for Flight STS-125 from the Kennedy Space Center would be pushed up a day due to the threat of Hanna . On September 5 , rural water associations in the Carolinas and neighboring states prepared staff and equipment to respond to emergencies . Associations activated their mutual aid networks , preparing for the landfall of Hanna and Hurricane Ike while still providing assistance to areas impacted by Hurricane Gustav . In Wilmington , North Carolina , the University of North Carolina at Wilmington canceled all classes and activities for Friday , September 5 , and Saturday , September 6 , in preparation for the storm , and issued an advised voluntary evacuation . UNCW officially closed at noon on Friday , and reopened at noon on Saturday , after the storm had passed . Specifically Wagoner Dining Hall , Randall Library , and the Student Recreation Center were reopened to students . Classes resumed regular schedules on Monday , September 8
Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
Hurricane Hanna