Natural Disasters

Hurricane Erin Impacts Mid-Atlantic Coast, Threatens East Coast with Flooding and Rip Currents

Hurricane Erin generated significant waves along the mid-Atlantic coast on Thursday, subsequently moving out to sea after impacting North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and swells. The storm caused flooding in certain areas of the barrier islands.

The threat of dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding is expected to persist from the Carolinas to New England throughout the weekend, even as the storm is predicted to weaken as it moves further away from the East Coast. Damage assessments were ongoing on the Outer Banks, and additional flooding was possible during high tide on Thursday evening. However, the low-lying islands appeared to have avoided widespread destruction during the initial impact of Erin on Wednesday.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect along the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as on the island of Bermuda, where residents and tourists were advised to avoid the water until Friday. Coastal communities along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coasts could experience tropical-storm-force wind gusts through early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Beaches in New York were closed to swimming on Thursday, but this did not deter surfers from taking advantage of the waves at Rockaway Beach in Queens. Experienced surfers found the conditions ideal, despite the challenging rip currents. Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, could see waves exceeding 3 meters this week.

Authorities along the coast had been warning about potentially deadly rip currents throughout the week. Coastal erosion was a major concern in many beachfront communities, with waves in North Carolina estimated as high as 5.5 meters on Thursday morning. The Outer Banks, known for their vulnerability, were closely monitored.

Dare County officials reported that, fortunately, the worst-case scenario of new inlets forming had not occurred, and there was no significant structural damage to homes or businesses. The Hatteras Island Rescue Squad reported no rescue calls overnight. Waves did breach dunes on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, leading to the closure of parts of Highway 12 and cutting off Ocracoke's connection to its ferry terminal.

At Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, where sustained winds reached 72 kilometers per hour, people were taking photos of the large waves crashing into the structure. The storm, which has fluctuated in intensity, is unusually large, spanning over 965 kilometers. As of late Thursday morning, it remained a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds around 160 kilometers per hour, located approximately 455 kilometers east of Cape Hatteras. The hurricane center was also monitoring two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic.

Read-to-Earn opportunity
Time to Read
You earned: None
Date

Post Profit

Post Profit
Earned for Pluses
...
Comment Rewards
...
Likes Own
...
Likes Commenter
...
Likes Author
...
Dislikes Author
...
Profit Subtotal, Twei ...

Post Loss

Post Loss
Spent for Minuses
...
Comment Tributes
...
Dislikes Own
...
Dislikes Commenter
...
Post Publish Tribute
...
PnL Reports
...
Loss Subtotal, Twei ...
Total Twei Earned: ...
Price for report instance: 1 Twei

Comment-to-Earn

5 Comments

Avatar of Coccinella

Coccinella

Closing the beaches is a knee-jerk reaction. It feels like an overreaction; we need better strategies for dealing with storms.

Avatar of Leonardo

Leonardo

The coastal erosion problem isn’t being taken seriously enough. We need significant changes to how we manage our beaches.

Avatar of Michelangelo

Michelangelo

Flooding and destruction seem to be an annual event now. Why aren’t we better prepared for these storms? It's frustrating!

Avatar of Leonardo

Leonardo

Great to hear that there were no serious injuries! Thanks to emergency services for their hard work.

Avatar of Donatello

Donatello

This storm is just another example of climate change affecting our coastlines. We need to do more to address the root cause instead of just reacting.

Available from LVL 13

Add your comment

Your comment avatar