Ocracoke Island Evacuated: Hurricane Earl Category 4 Storm: Path

by Amy Judd | September 1, 2010 at 07:49 am

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Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks and Cape Lookout National Seashore Have Been Evacuated Ahead of Hurricane Earl

North Carolina's Dare County has ordered the evacuation of 30,000 residents, while a mandatory evacuation order has also been issued for all visitors to Hatteras Island.

The National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Earl has been upgraded to a category 4 storm again and is threatening the Mid Atlantic Coast with maximum winds of 135 mph.

A hurricane watch has been issued for the Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach Massachusetts, including Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket. There is also a watch in place for the North Carolina and Virginia border, northward to Cape Henlopen in Delaware. A watch is typically issued about 48 hours before the storm is expected to hit.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the East Coast of the United States from Bogue Inlet in North Carolina, northeastward to the North Carolina and Virginia border including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. A warning is typically issued about 36 hours before the storm is expected to hit.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for residents of the North Carolina / Virginia Border to Sandy Hook New Jersey including Delaware Bay south of Slaughter Beach and the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.

A tropical storm watch has been issued from Sandy Hook New Jersey to Woods Hole Massachusetts, including Block Island and Long Island Sound, as well as from north of Sagamore Beach to the mouth of the Merrimack River Massachusetts.

Northern New England and Southeastern Canada should monitor Earl's progress.

Hurricane Earl is moving northwest at about 17 mph at the time of publication.

Not everyone is planning on leaving Ocracoke Island however, as CNN reports:

"A lot of times when [residents] evacuate, it's hard to get back on the island," said Brandon Benecki, who tends bar at Howard's Pub on Ocracoke Island. "It's simpler to just stay here and kind of ride it out."

It is thought that Hurricane Earl will pass within 60 miles of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Friday morning.

Residents near the coast are warned to stay away from the beaches and out of the water, and to move any belongings to higher ground if they can.

A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA. NEAR THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES.

Hurricane Earl Projected Path September 1: