Hurricane Erin forces Outer Banks evacuations as beaches close along the East Coast
Andrzejewski and her husband purchased the bed-and-breakfast, known as the oldest inn on the island, less than a week ago. By Monday they had brought in all the outdoor furniture and made sure their daughter and her boyfriend, who are the innkeepers, had generators, extra water and flashlights as they stayed behind to keep an eye on the property.
"It's just one of those things where you know this is always a possibility and it could happen, and you just make the best out of it. Otherwise you wouldn't live at the beach," said Andrzejewski, who will also remain on the island, at her home about a 15 minutes' drive away.
Although the season's first Atlantic hurricane is expected to stay offshore, evacuations were ordered on barrier islands along the Carolina coast as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents from Florida to the New England coast. Tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of the Outer Banks. Coastal flooding was expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday.
The evacuations on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke came at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean and are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian caused record amounts of damage in Ocracoke. Last year, Hurricane Ernesto stayed offshore but created high surf and swells.
Tommy Hutcherson, who owns the community's only grocery store, said the island has mostly bounced back. He's optimistic this storm won't be as destructive.
"But you just never know. I felt the same way about Dorian and we really got smacked," he said.
With Hurricane Erin, there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway. Some routes could be impassable for days.
Meanwhile, ocean conditions are dangerous off the Outer Banks and the East Coast. The Wrightsville Beach Fire Department, near Wilmington, North Carolina, said officials rescued between 60 and 70 swimmers on Monday. There were no injuries or fatalities recorded.
Beaches along the East Coast have closed to swimming, citing rough waters. Belmar, Bay Head and Island Beach State Park, all in New Jersey, banned swimming because of dangerous surf conditions and strong rip currents.
The National Weather Service issued a high rip current risk through at least midweek. Wave heights are expected to reach eight to 15 feet, with conditions worsening as the storm moves closer.
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Washington Post
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Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin
RODANTHE, N.C. — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy the last hurrahs of summer along the coast were met with rip-current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inched closer Wednesday. While forecasters remain confident that the center of the monster storm will stay far offshore, the outer edges are expected to bring high winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents into Friday. But the biggest swells along the East Coast could come as early as Wednesday.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin
RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy the last hurrahs of summer along the coast were met with rip-current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inched closer Wednesday. While forecasters remain confident that the center of the monster storm will stay far offshore, the outer edges are expected to bring high winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents into Friday. But the biggest swells along the East Coast could come as early as Wednesday. New York City closed its beaches to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered three state beaches on Long Island to prohibit swimming through Thursday. Several New Jersey beaches also will be temporarily off-limits, while some towns in Delaware have cut off ocean access. Off Massachusetts, Nantucket Island could see waves of more than 10 feet (3 meters) later this week. But the biggest threat is along the barrier islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks, where evacuations have been ordered. Erin has become an unusually large and deceptively worrisome storm, with its tropical storm winds stretching 230 miles (370 kilometers) from its core. Forecasters expect it will grow larger in size as it moves through the Atlantic and curls north. On Tuesday it lashed the Turks and Caicos Islands, where government services were suspended and residents were ordered to stay home, along with parts of the Bahamas before its expected turn toward Bermuda. Tropical storm watches were issued for Virginia and North Carolina as well as Bermuda. Erin lost some strength from previous days and was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (161 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was about 540 miles (870 kilometers) south-southeast of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras. On the Outer Banks, Erin's storm surge could swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Mandatory evacuations were ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. More than 1,800 people had left Ocracoke by ferry since Monday. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned coastal residents to be prepared to evacuate and declared a state of emergency Tuesday. Bulldozers shored up the dunes, and trucks from the local power company on Ocracoke were on hand to respond to downed wires. Some side roads already saw some flooding on Hatteras, and the owners of a pier removed a few planks, hoping the storm surge would pass through without tearing it up. Most residents decided to stay even though memories are still fresh of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when 7 feet (2.1 meters) of water swamped Ocracoke, county commissioner Randal Mathews said. Tom Newsom, who runs fishing charters on Hatteras, said has lived there almost 40 years and never evacuated. He was not going to this time either. Comparing this hurricane to others he has seen, he called this one a 'nor'easter on steroids.' The Outer Banks' thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands jutting into the Atlantic are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. There are concerns that parts of the main highway could be washed out, leaving some routes impassible for days. And dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic beach erosion and the loss of protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Farther south, no evacuations were ordered but some beach access points were closed with water levels up to 3 feet (1 meter) over normal high tides expected for several days. Climate scientists say Atlantic hurricanes are now much more likely to rapidly intensify into powerful and catastrophic storms fueled by warmer oceans. Two years ago Hurricane Lee grew with surprising speed while barreling offshore through the Atlantic, unleashing violent storms and rip currents. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press journalists Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Leah Willingham in Boston; Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama; and Julie Walker in New York contributed.
New York Times
7 hours ago
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North Carolina Beach Towns Brace for a Surge of Dangerous Seas
Gov. Josh Stein of North Carolina declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as the outer bands of Hurricane Erin inched closer to the state, increasing the likelihood of life-threatening rip currents this week. 'To folks on the coast, now is the time to prepare,' Mr. Stein wrote on social media. 'Check your emergency kits, make sure you have emergency alerts turned on, and listen to emergency guidance in case you need to evacuate.' The state's emergency management agency said that storm surge, or the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, could reach as high as four feet on Wednesday. Portions of the Outer Banks in North Carolina are under a mandatory evacuation order, and officials have warned that some roads could remain impassable for days. By Tuesday afternoon, many tourists had already hopped on a ferry and fled places like Ocracoke, a small coastal community that is reachable only by boat. Farther south, on beaches near Wilmington, the sun was shining, and there were still plenty of people enjoying the last dribbles of good weather. People played music and read on the sand, even as lifeguards remained on high alert. In Wrightsville Beach, about 70 people had to be rescued on Monday from dangerous rip currents generated by swells from Hurricane Erin. Officials have warned residents not to swim in the area until at least Friday. 'It's like a perfect storm,' Sam Proffitt, the town's ocean rescue director, said in an interview on Tuesday. 'The weather is nice. It doesn't look super choppy. People just see waves, but it generates a lot of rips.' Aidan Kratt, 22, who works at Sweetwater Surf Shop near Wrightsville Beach, said that while he surfed on Monday for about 15 minutes, he saw lifeguards rescue at least three people who had been sucked far from shore by powerful currents. As he rested on his board in the surf, Mr. Kratt said he saw a woman's head bobbing above the water far from him, appearing to struggle. 'I could tell she was a little tired, and there was already a no-swim advisory red flag, so I just helped her back, just in case,' Mr. Kratt said. 'You can just get pulled out in two minutes and not even really know it.' She hung onto his board as he paddled them to shore. Jerry Slayton, a manager at Cavalier Surf Shop in Nags Head, a beach town in the Outer Banks, said many locals didn't appear too concerned about the storm quite yet, based on the forecast as of Tuesday. 'I just hope it doesn't flood too much,' he said as he closed up shop, after a day of serving customers who were eager to buy the right gear for increasingly powerful waves. 'It's pretty good out there, so the surfers are happy,' Mr. Slayton added. 'The tourists are a little bummed.' Michael Levenson contributed reporting.
