Evacuation order expanded in N.C. ahead of Earl

9/1/2010

MANTEO, N.C. — A second North Carolina county has ordered the evacuation of people on an Outer Banks island ahead of Hurricane Earl.

Dare County officials on Wednesday morning ordered the evacuation of visitors on Hatteras Island. Officials worry that high waves could wash over N.C. Highway 12, the principle road along the Outer Banks.

Officials say they are monitoring the storm before deciding whether to evacuate other parts of the county.

A mandatory evacuation is under way on neighboring Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. The first ferries began evacuating people to the mainland shortly after 6 a.m.

Earl weakened to a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday as it whipped across the Caribbean with winds near 125 mph.