Hurricane Erin live updates: Storm to bring ‘powerful’ 20 foot waves and flooding risk along East Coast – UK Times

In an update Wednesday morning, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said that a statewide state of emergency had been declared.

Stein said that the presence of “life-threatening” rip currents meant that “no one should be in the ocean.”

“Right now, I want to emphasize the importance of taking this storm seriously, because it’s a serious storm and conditions can deteriorate quickly,” he said.

The governor added that several local states of emergency have been declared in various counties including evacuation orders.

Three swift-water rescue teams and 200 National Guardsmen are already on standby, as well as three Chinook helicopters in Georgia, that are ready to provide aid should it be needed.

Here’s where we are so far:

Hurricane Erin made a sudden shift in trajectory as Category 2 winds raced towards the U.S. East Coast.

Days after 130mph winds and torrential rainfall battered the Caribbean and left tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans without power, fears grew that Erin would slam into the U.S. as a Category 2 hurricane this week.

In an early morning advisory on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami confirmed the storm was unlikely to make U.S. landfall after veering northwest toward open waters.

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Hurricane Erin, as the storm approaches the U.S. East Coast.

Forecasters have warned that the weather system is set to bring “powerful” waves that could reach up to 20 feet high.

The National Hurricane Center warned Wednesday that tropical storm force winds and surge conditions would increase in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina and portions of coastal Virginia throughout the day.

It also warned that “life-threatening” surf and rip currents would be present along much of the east coast of the U.S. this week, adding that beachgoers should follow the advice of lifeguards and local authorities.