A hurricane warning went up along the North Carolina coast and up to 90,000 people were urged to get out of the way of Hurricane Isabel, the most powerful storm in four years to menace the mid-Atlantic coast.
Cars, recreational vehicles and SUVs streamed inland from North Carolina's Outer Banks before the warning was posted late Tuesday for 305km, from Cape Fear to the Virginia line. A hurricane watch stretched northward to Chincoteague, Virginia, including Chesapeake Bay.
Isabel's winds weakened earlier to around 169kph but picked up to 177kph. Forecasters said little change was expected before the hurricane reaches land. Its projected course could take it straight into the Outer Banks early today.
By Tuesday evening, grocery stores and restaurants were closed or shuttered and the Cape Hatteras lighthouse was barred to visitors. The main highway, N.C. 12, was unusually barren of traffic and the beaches nearly desolate.
"Even a lot of old salts are bailing out," Brian Simmons said as he placed plywood across the window of Stoney's Seafood in Avon. "I don't know if it's some vibe they feel or something."
Coastal residents from South Carolina to New Jersey boarded up homes and businesses and stocked up on batteries, water and other supplies. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley declared a state of emergency, allowing him to use the National Guard and also seek federal disaster relief after the storm passes.
"Now is the time to prepare," he said. "The course and intensity of this storm may change quickly."
Thousands of tourists and others abandoned parts of the Outer Banks as rough surf pounded the thin, 193km-long chain of islands.
National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield said he was concerned people were not taking the storm seriously because it had weakened to a Category 2.
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