Hurricane Erin forces evacuations on North Carolina's Outer Banks but
expected to stay offshore
[August 19, 2025]
By BEN FINLEY and JOHN SEEWER
Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North
Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay
offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on
Monday.
Evacuations were ordered on some barrier islands along the Carolina
coast as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip
currents and swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Tropical
storm and surge watches were issued Monday for much of the Outer Banks.
Officials at the Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, North Carolina,
reported to the National Weather Service rescuing at least 60 swimmers
from rip currents on Monday.
Tourists and residents waited for hours in a line of cars at Ocracoke
Island’s ferry dock — the only way to leave other than by plane.
“We definitely thought twice,” said Seth Brotherton, of Catfish, North
Carolina, whose weeklong fishing trip ended after two days. “But they
said ‘mandatory’ and that pretty much means, ‘get out of here.’"
Forecasters are confident Erin will curl north and away from the eastern
U.S., but it’s still expected to whip up wild waves and tropical force
winds along the coastal islands, Dave Roberts of the U.S. National
Hurricane Center in Miami said.
The storm intensified to a Category 4 with 140 mph (225 kph) maximum
sustained winds Monday while pelting the Turks and Caicos Islands, and
the southeast Bahamas, according to the center. By Monday night,
sustained winds had dropped some to 125 mph (200 kph) with Erin about
690 miles (1,110 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and about 780 miles
(1,255 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras.
Government officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands said all services
were suspended on three of its islands and ordered residents there to
stay home. Some ports also closed.
On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, coastal flooding was expected to begin
Tuesday and continue through Thursday.
The evacuations that began Monday 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.
A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore yet
still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage.
This time there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds
and waves could wash out parts of the main highway, the National Weather
Service said. Some routes could be impassible for several days,
authorities warned.
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In this aerial image taken from video provided by WVEC-TV, homes
along the Atlantic Coast in Dare County, N.C., are seen, Monday,
Aug. 18, 2025, ahead of expected impacts from Hurricane Erin. (WVEC-TV
via AP)
This is the first time Ocracoke has been evacuated since Hurricane
Dorian struck in 2019, leaving behind the most damage in the
island's recorded history.
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.
Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in
the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the
atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean
temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more
rain and strengthen more quickly.
Daniel Pullen, a professional photographer who lives on Hatteras
Island, said he’s already lost three days of work shooting family
portraits because of the evacuation order.
Pullen doesn’t plan to evacuate, fearing he could be stuck off the
island for days and even weeks if the main Highway 12 washes out.
“It’s a bit like Russian roulette,” Pullen said. “Do you stay and
take the chance of it hitting you? Or do you leave and take the
chance of getting stuck off the island for weeks at a time? I would
say the majority of Hatteras Island residents can’t afford to stay
in a motel for a week or two weeks.”
Erin, the year’s first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous
Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before
weakening. It is expected to remain a large hurricane into midweek.
“You’re dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is
fluctuating. It’s a dangerous hurricane in any event,” the hurricane
center’s Richard Pasch said.
Bermuda will experience the most severe threat Thursday evening,
said Phil Rogers, director of the Bermuda Weather Service. By then,
waters could swell up to 24 feet (7.3 meters).
“Surfers, swimmers and boaters must resist the temptation to go out.
The waters will be very dangerous and lives will be placed at risk,”
acting Minister of National Security Jache Adams said.
Erin’s outer edges hit parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
with heavy rains and tropical storm winds Sunday, knocking out power
to thousands.
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Associated Press journalists Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama,
and Julie Walker in New York contributed.
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