Editor among those evacuated for Earl

MANASSAS, Va. - ­­As Hurricane Earl approaches the East Coast, it is already forcing travelers to change their vacation plans.

The News & Messenger’s Communities Editor Kari Pugh is one of hundreds who are being told to leave Nags Head, N.C., as the massive category-four storm approaches.

“The feeling here today is very ominous and it feels very tropical outside. I’ve never seen waves this big before,” said Pugh, who's been vacationing with her family in Nags Head, N.C., since Saturday. “We went down to Hatteras yesterday, and other than the waves you would never know a hurricane was coming.”

The storm is expected to brush by the islands Thursday night, passing some 70  miles east of them, bringing sustained winds of 74 mph or higher to the coast.

Hurricane warnings were issued yesterday between Ocracoke Island, N.C., and the North Carolina / Virginia border.

A tropical storm watch was issued for Virginia Beach and the Maryland and Delaware shorelines.

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, there were maximum sustained winds of 145 mph at the center of the storm, 330 miles south of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

After its brush with North Carolina's Outer Banks and with the mid-atlantic coast, Earl could impact New England by 2 a.m. Saturday as a weaker storm, during the heart of the Memorial Day weekend.

On the Outer Banks of North Carolina, State Route 12 is the only major road that traverses the string of barrier islands.

If it gets too windy, the bridges that connect the islands may be closed to motorists, vacationers are being told by officials.

Pugh has vacationed on the Outer Banks for the past 20 years and says the possibilities of a storm surge, where water rushes over the roadway, and power outages are real.

“This place is used to storms; they’re kind of routine for the people who live here. I’ve seen them evacuate vacationers before, but it’s unusual for them to evacuate residents too. So it looks like something big might happen here,” said Pugh.

On her trip back to Virginia today, she expects roads and gas stations to be very busy, she said.

No rain has been forecast for the Washington area despite the passing storm.

Flood advisories will remain in effect until late Thursday night in Prince William and Stafford counties, as the hurricane is expected to cause water levels along tidal rivers like the Potomac to rise in advance of the storm, according to the National Weather Service.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-530-3905.