Evacuations start as US braces for Hurricane Earl
by Rick Mercier
RALEIGH, North Carolina-Thousands of people evacuated North Carolina's barrier islands on Wednesday as a strengthened Hurricane Earl threatened to pound large areas of the US east coast with heavy winds and rough seas.

The strongest Atlantic storm of 2010 was on a path to lash the North Carolina coast and then move north, wreaking havoc on the end-of-summer US Labor Day holiday weekend that usually draws millions to the beaches.

At 2100 GMT, Earl regained category four status as sustained winds rose to 135 miles (215 kilometers), the National Hurricane Center said.

The eye of the storm was 630 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks -- a narrow band of North Carolina barrier islands that is a major tourist destination but prone to high seas.

Earl was churning northwest at 17 miles per hour, prompting watches and warnings along a wide area of the coastline as far north as Massachusetts.

A hurricane warning, meaning hurricane-force winds are expected, was in effect from the Bogue Inlet in North Carolina to the Virginia border.

A hurricane watch, which means dangerous conditions are a possibility, was in effect from the North Carolina-Virginia border to Cape Henlopen, Delaware, and from Woods Hole to Sangamore Beach, Massachusetts, including the tourist islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Tropical storm warnings or watches were in effect around the Chesapeake Bay and parts of the New Jersey coast.

In North Carolina, officials in Hyde County ordered a mandatory evacuation for thousands of visitors plus the estimated 800 residents on Ocracoke Island, where ferry service is the only means of transportation back to the mainland.

Just to the north, Dare County issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors to Hatteras Island, the easternmost point in the state and home of the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

"Certainly the rough seas and wave action are the biggest concern with the current storm track," said Dorothy Toolan, spokeswoman for Dare County.

The storm was expected to pass about 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the east of Cape Hatteras early Friday.

"We're already experiencing some higher surf conditions," said Cyndy Holda, public affairs officer at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

National Park officials anticipate a heavy storm surge on Hatteras Island as early as Thursday, when high tide occurs, possibly resulting in road closures.

Briefed by top disaster response aides, US President Barack Obama said officials were preparing for the "worst case" scenario and would do all they could to protect vulnerable east coast communities.

Airlines said they may cancel flights if conditions worsen.

"Storm conditions are expected to make air travel difficult on the United States east coast, forcing some delays and cancellations of flights at airports in the region, including at its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport," Continental Airlines said.

Projections showed Earl could remain a powerful storm as it moves toward New England and possibly on to the Canadian coast.

"Interests in northern New England and southeastern Canada should monitor the progress of Earl," the hurricane center said..

Earl, which brushed past Puerto Rico on Tuesday, pummeled the Bahamas and eastern Caribbean with rain and heavy winds that downed trees, damaged homes, blocked roads and snapped power lines.

Throughout the day on Wednesday, the Bahamas were due for large swells that "could cause dangerous surf conditions and rip currents," the NHC warned.

Earl comes on the heels of Hurricane Danielle, blamed for rough surf and riptides in New York and New Jersey last weekend.

Meanwhile, tracking closely behind Earl is Tropical Storm Fiona, moving north of Leeward Islands, packing top winds of 60 miles per hour, with no immediate threats to land areas.

The hurricane center said the fourth storm in the past 11 days, Tropical Storm Gaston, formed in the Atlantic as well Wednesday.

Gaston had winds of 40 miles per hour and was centered 1,635 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.