Nearly 40 million people are under flood alerts on the East Coast as Hurricane Erin barrels past the U.S. While it's not forecasted to make landfall in the U.S., it's brought tropical storm conditions to parts of North Carolina.

Kitty Hawk

Hurricane Erin has approached the US East Coast, producing large waves and dangerous rip currents from Florida to New England. The Outer Banks in North Carolina have experienced significant surf, with waves reaching up to 15 feet and causing rare run-up to sand dunes, flooding, and erosion. Authorities have closed hundreds of beaches and issued warnings to stay out of the water due to the risk of rip currents. 

A state of emergency is in effect in North Carolina, with rescue teams and National Guard troops deployed to coastal areas. Residents and tourists have been evacuated from vulnerable locations, while some long-time locals remain. The storm has also led to road closures and concerns about structural damage along the coast, with tropical storm force winds affecting a wide area.

Hurricane Erin causes dangerous rip currents along East Coast

after a week of waiting and watching the winds now of Hurricane Aaron have finally reached the East Coast and the waves that have been pounding this shoreline all week long have only gotten more ferocious here in Kitty Hawk. We're talking about 12 to 15 footers and the surf here, you can see this, this is rare for the run-up of this surf to go all the way to the sand dunes in this part of the Outer Banks is extremely rare. So this has been ongoing all week long, this surf pounding this coastline. And even though this is not gonna be a direct hit, anxiety levels and the impacts will be at their highest today as Hurricane Aaron makes its closest approach to the US. An onslaught of waves slamming the Eastern seaboard. In North Carolina, boarded up seaside homes under attack. The many roads inundated and cars swamped. A state of emergency is in effect. Governor Josh Stein says response teams are ready. We have already pre-positioned three Swiftwater rescue teams and 200 National Guard troops to various locations on the coast. Hundreds of beaches dotting the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to New York are closed as officials warn the dangerous rip currents can pull even the strongest swimmers out to sea. Tourists and residents have been evacuated in many parts of the Outer Banks. I have a three-story house, so if it got that high, I'd definitely be dead. But 96-year-old Carol Dillon has never fled from a storm and is staying behind again. A lot of storms, a lot of damage. I've seen the water in this building up to the window. Dillon has owned the Outer Banks Motel for seven decades, and she's been fighting against the eroding shoreline from day one. So you've been on the retreat for decades now. Since 1955. But now her buildings are up against the National Park and cannot be rebuilt any farther back if Hurricane Aaron wipes it out. We could wash away completely. So what does a motel like this do to protect itself when it's slowly slipping into the ocean? We pray a lot. You pray, huh? And she laughs, but she tells me those prayers have worked over the years, and we're certainly praying along with her today. A Highway 12, the main artery that connects this part of the Outer Banks to that part, is shut down. We barely made it out of there last night before it shut down, so we'll just have to rely on phone to see how Miss Dillon and the rest of the gang down there are doing. All right, obviously winds are an issue now today. We've got the center of this system now less than 200 miles from the U.S. coastline. Here is the satellite picture. We'll take you through the forecast because it's gonna affect everybody on the East Coast if it hasn't already. The waves measured over 15 feet here, here in the Outer Banks, and that's pretty much gonna be the peak of it, but that's obviously already done some erosion damage and potentially some structural damage down, especially across the lower part of the gate, but 11-foot waves across the Delmarva, the Jersey Shore, up through Long Island and New England, so that potentially would do some damage. If not, certainly bring in some coastal flooding for the usual spots who have to deal with hurricanes on the East Coast. And the rip currents continue to be an issue. Obviously, the advice, the warnings are to not go in the water again today. Really, anywhere from Florida all the way up through southern New England because of those dangerous rip currents. And the winds, as we mentioned, continue to ramp up here along the Outer Banks, 40- to 50-mile-an-hour winds potentially. Remember, the tropical storm force winds go out hundreds of miles from the center of this thing, so even though we're not getting a direct hit, we are getting the impacts of these tropical storm force winds. It's been a long week here, Gail. We're certainly looking forward to getting rid of Aaron, but we've still got at least 48 hours left to deal with her on the East Coast, Gail.

Israel has intensified its assault on Gaza City, launching a new operation to seize it while planning the forced displacement of nearly one million Palestinians to southern zones.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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New York

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Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

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Texas

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Brussels

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Despite not making landfall, Hurricane Erin is forcing mandatory evacuation orders in parts of North Carolina and is expected to cause rip currents for days along the U.S. East Coast.

North Carolina

Hurricane Erin forces evacuations on U.S. East Coast

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New Delhi

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Hong Kong Island

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Forecasters are giving urgent warnings to millions of people who live along the East Coast as Hurricane Erin churns in the Atlantic. The storm will not make direct landfall but is expected to bring dangerous rip currents.

East Coast of the United States

Hurricane Erin to bring dangerous rip currents to U.S. East Coast

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Los Angeles

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Hurricane Erin will bring dangerously rough surf to parts of the U.S. East Coast. Over the weekend, Erin's outer bands lashed Puerto Rico with up to 7 inches of rain and flooding parts of the island.

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Kyiv

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Breakdown