The storm is getting better, but I’m still afraid. Two counties declared states of emergency over the weekend, and forecasters are warning that more problems could happen on the East Coast.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) believes that Hurricane Erin is still a big threat, even if it has lost part of its strength since it was at its worst.
Some parts of North Carolina have already declared a state of emergency because of the hurricane. It is also likely to cause severe rain and flooding throughout the Caribbean. It is also a danger along the East Coast of the US.
On Saturday, August 16, 2025, Storm Erin reached Category 5. But it is still strong in the Atlantic Ocean. It is now a Category 3 hurricane.
The NHC said on August 17 that Erin was moving west to northwest at 13 mph (20 km/h) and that the winds stayed at 125 mph (205 km/h).
This week, the storm is expected to grow and become stronger before heading north. It will still be a huge hurricane until the middle of the week.
Forecasters said that Erin’s risks aren’t only in the middle of the storm. Hurricane winds can go out 50 miles (85 km), whereas tropical storm winds can go more than 200 miles (335 km). The NHC predicted that the storm is likely to stay “big and dangerous.”
Warnings for tropical storms and heavy rain
A lot of rain is already falling on the outside bands of Erin. By Monday, Puerto Rico is expected to get two to four more inches of rain.
The Eastern Bahamas, which includes San Salvador Island, Turks and Caicos, and other islands, could experience up to six inches of rain by Tuesday.
The NHC said that this rain might cause flash floods in cities and mudslides or landslides in the highlands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeast Bahamas are under tropical storm warnings. This is because storms are likely to hit in the next day.
Erin’s big wind field is causing rain and flooding in a lot of places. The NHC also says that the waves are rough in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos. The Bahamas, Bermuda, the East Coast of the US, and Atlantic Canada will all be hit in the next few days.
These waves will probably make the surf and rip currents dangerous, which means that swimming and surfing will be dangerous. There may also be flooding along the shore in regions where the wind originates from the sea.
What might happen on the East Coast?
Erin shouldn’t have an effect on the US, but its enormity will have an effect on hundreds of miles of shore.
Reports predict that the wind and rain will definitely impact North Carolina and Virginia more than Florida and most of the East Coast.
Alex DaSilva, a hurricane analyst at AccuWeather, told Newsweek that “dangerous surf, beach erosion, and coastal flooding” are all likely to happen right now.
But if Erin’s path goes further west, things could get worse along the Atlantic coast of the United States.
He also said that among of the coastal locations that are most likely to be directly affected are the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Long Island in New York, and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
DaSilva says that Erin hasn’t started moving north yet. If the storm keeps going west before turning, it will have a stronger effect on the East Coast.
According to CBS News, Erin could impact the Tri-State area, which includes New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, between Tuesday and Thursday. This is especially true for the Jersey Shore and the South Shore of Long Island.
There will be mostly cloudy and breezy weather in Central New Jersey and the Hudson Valley of New York. Some outer bands may bring a few showers.
Counties in North Carolina can initiate emergency declarations.
If the hurricane comes, the municipal governments in coastal North Carolina have prepared plans for what to do. An advisory from the NHC on August 17 led Dare County Emergency Management to declare a state of emergency for the whole county.
The directive said that everyone on Hatteras Island had to leave. On Monday, August 18, at 10 a.m., tourists had to depart. On Tuesday, August 19, at 8 a.m., residents had to leave.
County officials say the evacuations are required, even if Erin is still at sea. They believe that the storm’s growing size will have a huge effect on the coast.
The county added, “Hurricane Erin is likely to stay far away from our coast.” “But the system will keep getting bigger, and it will kill people along the Dare County coast.”
Because of coastal overwash, the Coastal Flood Watch says that some areas of North Carolina Highway 12 may be closed for days. Waves that break 15 to 20 feet high are likely to happen. These waves can knock down dunes, wash away beaches, and flood roadways.
The Hyde County Board of Commissioners likewise said something similar about Ocracoke Island. People who resided there had to evacuate on Tuesday morning, while tourists had to leave right away because of the circumstances.
The board warned, “The system will keep growing and is expected to have life-threatening effects on the Ocracoke coastline and make Highway 12 impassable.”
Officials also said that after the island is closed, there may not be any emergency medical supplies on the island, and waves higher than 20 feet could destroy the dunes that surround it. Even though the highways are still accessible, anybody who require medical care should evacuate.
Tropical Storm Chantal in July reminded us how quickly things can go wrong on the coast of Carolina. Erin is now a threat on the water.
A tropical storm called Chantal slammed the coast early on Sunday morning between Wilmington, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) swiftly revised their minds and said it was a tropical depression.
A State of Emergency has been declared for all of Dare County, North Carolina with a MANDATORY evacuation for all of Hatteras Island. Hurricane #Erin will generate large powerful waves of 15-20+ feet and coastal flooding. Parts of Highway 12 may be impassable for several days. pic.twitter.com/anaullH59J
— Collin Gross (@CollinGrossWx) August 18, 2025
When the system impacted land, it made things perilous in some places in the Southeast US.
Chantal was about 65 miles southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina, at 5 p.m. EDT. The winds stayed at 30 mph. It was moving north-northeast at 10 mph, and it was predicted to move quicker in that direction until Monday.
Because of the terrible weather, there was a tropical storm warning for the coast from Surf City, North Carolina, to the South Santee River, South Carolina.
Earlier in the day, winds at Apache Pier in South Carolina were steady at 45 mph, with gusts of up to 50 mph.
Central North Carolina and south-central Virginia were under flash flood watches for areas that were not near the coast. Some areas may have gotten as much as 6 inches of rain, although most only got 2 to 4 inches. Some areas, such cities and sites with low-lying land, may have flooded because of these amounts.
A tornado watch was issued for eastern North Carolina while the storm’s rainbands were passing through. The point was to make people aware that tornadoes could happen in some areas.
The coast from northeastern Florida to the Mid-Atlantic states still saw severe surf and rip currents. People who lived near the coast and people who were going to the beach were told about this.
As Chantal moved inland, weather experts kept an eye on it and told people in the areas that would be affected to pay attention to official warnings and follow emergency measures.
People were cautioned by officials to be ready for evacuations and activities that might last a long time. The U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security’s official website for preparing ready for emergencies, Ready, encouraged people to first learn about the hazards that are specific to their locality.
Officials encouraged people to use the National Risk Index from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to find out what the most likely hazards were in their location. Storms, floods, wildfires, and power outages are all examples of local threats.
Before something horrible happened, it was vitally necessary to have a clear plan on how to get out.
This included choosing a few safe spots, such hotels, public shelters, or the homes of friends or family, and working with regional disaster management authorities to figure out the best and second-best methods to get away.
Pet owners made plans ahead of time because most shelters only let service animals in.
Making an emergency supplies kit, or “go-bag,” was just as important. This pack featured enough food that wouldn’t go bad for a few days, a flashlight, a weather radio that could run on batteries or be powered by hand, spare batteries, a first aid kit, hygiene items, and at least one gallon of water for each person every day.
You also needed prescription drugs, a phone charger and backup battery, cash, vital papers, face masks, a manual can opener, and supplies for babies, the elderly, or pets if you had any.
Everyone in the house should know where to find these objects, and they should be kept in durable, portable boxes.
Ready also said that individuals should keep a few kits in their homes, cars, and workplaces so they can get to them quickly in case of an emergency.
It’s a good idea to fill up your tank before you leave because gas stations may close or lose electricity in an emergency.
Only when advised to do so should homeowners cut off utilities, secure doors and windows, and unplug appliances.
People fled early when officials instructed them to so they wouldn’t be stuck in traffic or water. People who couldn’t go around made plans with their neighbors or the local administration ahead of time.
Ready encouraged residents to lock their doors, get their go-bags, and only use roads they recognized when they had to leave. There might not be any more easy ways.
You need to know what’s going on. The FEMA app is available for download on your phone. It tells you about open shelter spaces, hazards, and alarms right now.
Officials also suggest that people should utilize a battery-powered radio to acquire information about emergencies. People who live there should leave a note for their family and friends at home and, if they can, tell someone who lives in another state where they are going.
People who lived there were urged to only go back home after the evacuation if local officials believed it was safe. This was especially true for folks who had departed before the storm.
Federal laws warn that communities that have been damaged may continue be at risk for power outages, service interruptions, and dangerous objects like downed power lines or storm debris.
People in charge of getting ready for disasters say that making plans ahead of time makes things safer and less chaotic when calamities hit.
