Tourists Flee North Carolina Island Before ‘Earl’ Hits

Tourists flee North Carolina island before hurricane 'Earl' hits

An estimated five thousand tourists vacationing on Ocracoke island off North Carolina are boarding ferries to take them back to the mainland today, after an order to evacuate was issued by authorities, as hurricane Earl threatens to hit the east coast of the United States. Ferry trips from the island take two and a half hours.

The island has 800 permanent residents, and officials were trying to get them to leave the island also, according to emergency services director Lindsey Mooney.

“I don't remember the last time there was a mandatory evacuation order for the island,” said Hyde County commissioner Kenneth Collie.

Earl weakened to a category 3 hurricane today as it slammed the Caribbean with 125 mph winds. Depending on its path, more evacuations along the east coast may be ordered.

The hurricane was forecast to remain over the Atlantic Ocean but changed coursed and now set to run along the east coast, bringing heavy rain and winds to North Carolina's Outer Banks tomorrow or early Friday. Forecasters says that Earl would later veer away from the coast and head north hitting Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the coast of Maine on Friday or Saturday.

Earl is the most powerful hurricane to hit the east coast since Hurricane Bob in 1991, said Dennis Feltgen, National Hurricane Center spokesman.

“A slight shift of that track to the west is going to impact a great deal of real estate with potential hurricane-force winds,” Feltgen said.

The state of Virginia is likewise preparing to declare an emergency should Earl hit the state.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Thursday September 02 2010, 10:17 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0