Weakened Earl bearing down on Nova Scotia

CHATHAM, Mass. -- The remnants of Hurricane Earl have moved away from the Massachusetts coast and are bearing down on Nova Scotia.

The storm's brush with the Northeast late Friday was less intense than feared. It dumped heavy rain on Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard.

Earl is now a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph. The center of the storm is about 145 miles southwest of Nova Scotia. It is expected to reach the coast by late Saturday morning or early afternoon.

In Massachusetts, there are a few hundred power outages, a handful of downed power lines and isolated flooding in low-lying areas.

Earl had caused flooding but no injuries and little damage on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

 

 

FRIDAY:

MIAMI -- Hurricane Earl is weakening but the National Hurricane Center says gusts of more than 70 mph are still possible on Cape Cod and Nantucket Island in Massachusetts as the storm moves northeast.

Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said Friday that rain and occasional gales are possible along the Mid-Atlantic as the storm moves steadily northeast.

But the worst weather should be in eastern Massachusetts, where forecasters expect up to six hours of sustained winds over 40 mph as the storm heads for maritime Canada.

Hurricane Earl was a Category 1 storm with winds of 85 mph. It may weaken into a tropical storm later Friday.

The hurricane passed about 85 miles off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where no deaths or serious damage were reported.

 

BELMAR, N.J. -- New Jersey authorities have called off a search for a second victim of rough surf caused by Hurricane Earl and its predecessor Danielle.

High winds and looming rains forced the Coast Guard around midday Friday to suspend a search for 20-year-old Pardip Singh of Carteret, N.J. State police hope to resume the search by boat if conditions improve later in the day.

 

Aircraft avoiding Earl now arriving at Albany airport

COLONIE -- Aircraft avoiding any effects from Earl were being relocated to Albany International Airport on Friday.

Airport spokesman Doug Myers said Cape Air, based in Barnstable, Mass. will be relocating 25 of its Cessna-402 aircraft.

Two corporate jets from Cape Cod were already at the airport.

Two helicopters were scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon.

 

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BUXTON, N.C. -- A weakened Hurricane Earl howled past North Carolina's Outer Banks before daybreak Friday on its way up the East Coast, flooding parts of the narrow vacation islands and knocking out power but staying farther offshore than feared. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

At first light, 1 to 2 feet of water covered roads in the community of Buxton on Cape Hatteras, pushing around plywood, a convenience store ice cooler, a garbage bin and other debris. A Jeep driving down the road had water up to its headlights.

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue said there was no serious damage and urged people to get back out for the Labor Day weekend to "have a little fun and spend some money."

Earl arrived a less menacing storm than it was just a day earlier. By the time it sideswiped North Carolina, its winds had dropped to 105 mph from 145 mph. And at its closest approach, its center passed about 85 miles east of Cape Hatteras — up to 50 miles farther out than forecasters feared.

"Swiping the coast was always better than coming ashore," said Mark Van Sciver of the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center. "We're very grateful that the brunt of the storm passed us by."

Authorities sent teams out to assess the damage at first light. Some 35,000 visitors and residents on the Outer Banks been urged to leave the dangerously exposed islands at the storm closed in, but hundreds of hardy souls chose to wait it out in their boarded-up homes.

The storm knocked out power to thousands of people along the North Carolina coast, Van Sciver said.

Nancy Scarborough of Hatteras said she had about a foot of water underneath her home, which is on stilts. Wind continued to howl and water appeared to be surging onto land from Pamlico Sound, between the island chain and the mainland. Scarborough hoped it wouldn't be long before the storm receded.

"Once it goes down, it shouldn't take long to get things back together," she said.

As of 8 a.m. EDT, Earl was about 130 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northeast at 18 mph.

Forecasters expected Earl to remain a large hurricane as it swirled its way up the Eastern Seaboard toward New England by late Friday. Forecasters said it would away from New Jersey and other mid-Atlantic states but pass very close to Long Island, Cape Cod and Nantucket, which could get gusts up to 100 mph.

The storm could have a punishing effect even if its center stayed well off the coast; Earl's hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or more extended 70 miles from its center, and tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 mph radiated out 205 miles.

During its march up the Atlantic, it could snarl holiday weekend plans, with several flights already canceled and Amtrak service suspended in places.

Forecasters said much of New England should expect strong, gusty winds much like a nor'easter, along with fallen trees and downed power lines.

In New York City, officials were on alert but said they expected to see only side effects of the storm — mostly rain and high winds, with possible soil erosion on the beaches and flooding along the oceanside coasts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick urged people living in low-lying areas prone to flooding to consider leaving their homes by Friday afternoon, though no evacuations had been announced outside of North Carolina. Officials on Nantucket Island, Mass., planned to set up a shelter at a high school on Friday.

"We're asking everyone: Don't panic," Patrick said. "We have prepared well, we are coordinated well, and I'm confident that we've done everything that we can."

 

 

From Thursday:

Albany International can accommodate aircraft

COLONIE -- Albany International Airport says it is preparing for the arrival of aircraft that will be relocating because of the approaching hurricane.

As many as 50 commercial and private aircraft could be flying in to the Colonie airport early Friday morning.

And up to 25 aircraft based out of Cape Air in Barnstable, Mass., will be relocated to Albany International to ride out the storm.

The airport is also planning for possible diversions of international flights that may not be able to land at major New York City and East Coast airports due to the storm.

 

Changing travel plans?

Doug Myers, spokesman for the Albany International Airport, said commercial airlines are in many cases waiving fees normally charged to passengers who change travel plans.

Myers said travelers should consult airline websites for additional information.

 

BUXTON, N.C. -- Hurricane Earl packed winds near 125 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Canada on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain.

A hurricane warning was issued for the tip of Massachusetts, including Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. New hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches were issued for parts of Canada, adding to those already in effect from North Carolina to near the Canadian border.

With winds expected to whip up in North Carolina's Outer Banks by the evening, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate said residents and tourists could no longer afford to wait on the next forecast to see how close the eye of the storm might get.

"People should not be lulled into a false sense that this will steer away from them," Fugate said. "Time will be running out for people who have not gotten ready."

Earl weakened slightly as it moved toward the coast Thursday, but it was still a dangerous Category 3 storm. Hurricane force winds were beginning to spread farther from the eye, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The center's director, Bill Read, said hurricane winds were spread 90 miles from the eye and widening. The eye of the storm will likely remain about 30 to 75 miles east of the Outer Banks, meaning at the closest point of approach, the western edge of the eyewall could impact Cape Hatteras with huge waves, beach erosion and maybe some property damage.

"They're going to have a full impact of a major hurricane," Read said.

There will be a similar close approach later this week for the eastern tip of Long Island, Rhode Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.

That will mean strong, gusty winds much like a nor'easter, and possibly fallen trees and power lines.

"This is the strongest hurricane to threaten the northeast and New England since Hurricane Bob in 1991," said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the National Hurricane Center. "They don't get storms this powerful very often."

Forecasters said Earl could pass within 30 miles of Nantucket Island, Mass., bringing wind gusts up to 100 mph.

"We're preparing for the worst," assistant town manager Gregg Tivnan said Thursday.

 

MIAMI -- Hurricane Earl is weakening slightly but it's still packing winds near 125 mph as it blows toward North Carolina's coast.

Earl is now a Category 3 hurricane, and it's expected to pass the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a powerful storm tonight.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre has added a hurricane watch for Nova Scotia to the long list of warnings and watches in effect for a huge swath of the U.S. East Coast.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate says residents and tourists can no longer afford to wait on the next forecast to see how close the eye of the storm might get.

 

NEW YORK CITY -- New York City officials say they are on alert ahead of the coming tropical storm, but they only expect to see side effects as the main activity stays out over open water.

Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno said Thursday the city could see rain and high winds, along with possible soil erosion on the beaches and flooding along the oceanside coasts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Emergency officials are in contact with nursing homes and hospitals in the seaside zones from Coney Island to the Rockaways.

The city has also been working to clear basins that typically flood.

The Red Cross is also standing by if evacuation shelters are needed.

Bruno says officials don't believe much of its preparations will be necessary. But he says the city has to prepare for the worst case scenario.

 

STONY BROOK -- A hurricane expert says Long Island residents should remain alert should the track of the storm suddenly veer west off its current course.

The dangerous category 4 storm is expected to hit near North Carolina's Outer Banks late Thursday then turn north and run parallel to the coast, passing eastern Long Island. The eastern half of Long Island is under a tropical storm watch.

Steven Englebright, the curator of geology at Stony Brook University, says Long Island residents should remain alert. He says the course of hurricanes can be unpredictable. He expressed concern that an early September storm could wreak havoc because leaves have yet to begin falling from trees.

Suffolk County officials say no shelters have been opened, but will take only five hours to get them running.

 

Force of Earl remains uncertain

As Earl spun into a powerful Category 4 storm, the USS Cole hustled to return to its port in Virginia and volunteers carried sea turtle nests to safety.

The highest storm category is 5, which means winds of 156 mph and higher.

Farther up the East Coast, emergency officials urged people to have disaster plans and supplies ready. They weighed whether to order evacuations as they watched the latest maps from the hurricane center -- namely, the "cone of uncertainty" showing the broad path the storm could take.

If Earl moves farther east, tomorrow might just be modestly wet and blustery for millions in the Northeast. If the storm runs along the western edge of the forecast, dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and hurricane-force winds could slam the populous region.

 

 

From Wednesday:

BUXTON, N.C. -- Hurricane Earl blew toward the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday as a major storm with winds of around 145 mph as forecasters tried to pinpoint exactly how close the strongest gales and heaviest surge would get to North Carolina's fragile chain of barrier islands.

Tim Childs, left, from Albany, is shown preparing to leave a vacation rental house in Avon, N.C., on Wednesday. A tourist evacuation of Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island are underway as Hurricane Earl approaches North Carolina's Outer Banks.

They also were trying to figure out whether the storm would stay offshore as it tracks up the Northeast coast or bring hurricane-force winds to Long Island, the Boston metropolitan area and Cape Cod.

Tourists were largely gone from North Carolina's Outer Banks, but residents who stayed behind said they were prepared to face down the powerful hurricane.

"There is still concern that this track, the core of the storm, could shift a little farther to the west and have a very significant impact on the immediate coastline. Our present track keeps it off shore, but you never know," National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.

The center issued a tropical storm warning early Thursday for the coast of Long Island in New York and a hurricane watch was issued for areas of Massachusetts. A hurricane warning was already in effect for the coast of North Carolina.

Earl's first encounter with the U.S. mainland should come around midnight Thursday, as the storm is forecast to pass just off Cape Hatteras, bringing wind gusts of up to 100 mph and several feet of storm surge both from the Atlantic and the sounds to the west of the islands.

Gov. Beverly Perdue told reporters at a morning news conference that North Carolina is prepared for Earl. It's now up to coastal citizens to get to a safe place as the storm passes by, she said.

"We're very ready, as ready as anybody can be," Perdue said. "It's a serious storm and we all need to treat it like a serious storm."

Three counties have issued evacuation orders, but Perdue said emergency officials can't make residents leave their homes. She warned emergency crews often can't immediately reach stranded coastal homeowners after a storm.

Evacuations continued early Thursday on the coast, with residents and visitors told to leave a barrier island in Carteret County and another in Dare County where the Wright Brothers National Memorial marks their first successful airplane flights at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

The Outer Banks had only light winds and high clouds early Thursday as the eye of Earl was hundreds of miles south of Cape Hatteras. Those conditions were expected to deteriorate throughout the day, said National Hurricane Center forecaster Todd Kimberline.

While thousands of tourists heeded calls to evacuate Hatteras Island, locals familiar with hurricanes vowed to ride out Earl, preparing to spend days stranded from the mainland. Dare County officials said the daring should be ready to fend for themselves for up to three days.

Residents like Nancy Scarborough, who manages the Hatteras Cabanas, said Outer Banks residents have a tight-knit community that takes care of its own.

"I worry about not being able to get back here," she said. "I'd rather be stuck on this side than that side."

Along with the 30,000 residents and visitors asked to leave Hatteras Island, 5,000 more tourists were ordered to leave Ocracoke Island, which is only accessible by ferry and airplane.

Many people — boaters, beachgoers and residents alike — were adopting a wait-and-see approach, making simple preparations like stocking up on food or attaching hurricane shutters to their houses. But with the likelihood that the storm's ultimate path will become clear on Thursday, officials expect planning to shift into high gear.

"Post-Katrina, people are really sensitive to storm preparedness," said Atlantic Beach, N.C., Mayor Trace Cooper. "I don't think we're going to see too many people sticking around and saying they're going to have hurricane parties. You see enough pictures of people waiting on their roofs to be rescued and you decide to take precautions."

The North Carolina National Guard is deploying 80 troops to help and President Barack Obama declared an emergency in the state. The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

As Earl spun into a powerful Category 4 storm, the governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency, the USS Cole hustled to return to its port in Virginia and volunteers carried sea turtle nests to safety. The highest storm category is 5, which means winds of 156 mph and higher.

Amtrak canceled trains to Newport News, near Virginia's coast, from Richmond and Washington until Saturday.

Farther up the East Coast, emergency officials urged people to have disaster plans and supplies ready and weighed whether to order evacuations as they watched the latest maps from the hurricane center — namely, the "cone of uncertainty" showing the broad path the storm could take.

If Earl moves farther east, Friday might just be modestly wet and blustery for millions in the Northeast. If the storm runs along the western edge of the forecast, dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and hurricane-force winds could slam the populous region.

In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell activated the National Guard and sent 200 troops to the Hampton Roads area on Chesapeake Bay. The area was not expected to get the brunt of Earl, but many remember the surprise fury of Isabel, which killed 33 people and caused $1.6 billion in damage in September 2003.

Tugboat captain Randy Francis planned to ride out the storm on his 40-foot trawler named "Invictus" at a marina in Norfolk, Va. He said most people didn't appear to be taking the hurricane seriously.

"I was somewhat frustrated that they were somewhat nonchalant about it here," Francis said. "I'd just rather be safe than sorry."

Red Cross officials in New York prepared to open as many as 50 shelters on Long Island that could house up to 60,000 people in an emergency.

Emergency officials on Cape Cod braced for their first major storm since Hurricane Bob brought winds of up to 100 mph to coastal New England in August 1991.