US dodges direct strike by Hurricane Erin, but coastal dangers remain

NEW YORK - The United States avoided a nonstop onslaught from Hurricane Erin this week, but the storm’s ample size and almighty outer bands inactive caused important disruptions on parts of the East Coast.

Erin, which reached Category 5 strength portion northbound of the Caribbean, came wrong astir 200 miles of North Carolina’s Outer Banks connected Thursday, causing overwash to swamp roadways and erode protective dunes.

Videos and photos taken Thursday greeting on North Carolina’s Highway 12 – the main thoroughfare done the Outer Banks – showed agelong stretches of the coastal road underwater during precocious tide.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation unopen down a astir 50-mile agelong of the roadway due to the fact that of the hazards but gave nary denotation of erstwhile it would reopen to residents and travelers.

Authorities said inspections had not uncovered large structural harm to bridges oregon highways, but soil and debris removal was expected to beryllium extensive.

WATCH: NORTH CAROLINA MAN 'OBLITERATED' AS HURRICANE ERIN WAVE SMASHES INTO SAND DUNE

That aforesaid connection was echoed up and down the Eastern Seaboard, wherever officials reported comparatively small successful the mode of important impacts contempt the powerfulness of the hurricane.

In respective northeastern states, authorities reported that low-lying coastal areas did spot flooding with the evening’s precocious tide.

In confederate New Jersey, residents successful West Wildwood navigated the inundated streets utilizing surfboards and different tiny flotation craft, appearing to instrumentality the lawsuit successful stride.

Ahead of the hurricane, Governor Phil Murphy declared a authorities of exigency for 21 counties and warned that dangers would persist astatine slightest done Friday.

Even though the hurricane is hundreds of miles away, forecasters said Erin’s size would let rip currents and unsmooth seas to proceed on overmuch of the East Coast done the weekend.

Officials person been informing beachgoers for days to enactment retired of the water, citing hundreds of rescues arsenic grounds of the ocean’s power.

HURRICANE ERIN SHUTS DOWN RAINY WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS FLORIDA, INCREASING WILDFIRE DANGERS

There person been nary reports of missing swimmers arsenic of Thursday evening, but lifeguards cautioned against going into the water, particularly during 1 of the last weekends of summer, with galore coastal communities engaged with visitors.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is expected to sojourn coastal areas connected Friday to measure harm and the presumption of reopening efforts.

Elsewhere successful the tropics, the National Hurricane Center said it is monitoring a fewer disturbances successful the Atlantic basin, but the FOX Forecast Center noted that owed to the prevailing upwind signifier implicit North America, nary of the systems airs a menace to the continental United States.