Earl downgrades; warnings, alerts, evacuations on

New York, Sep 2: Despite downgrading into a Category 3 storm, Hurricane Earl continues to work up a panic as it roared closer to the East Coast on Wednesday, Sep 1, prompting evacuations.

A media report said that the first evacuations began here in the outlying islands as coastal states began battening down the hatches.

NY Daily News reported that the hurricane threatened to disrupt the start of the Labor Day weekend with high seas, perilous riptides, rain and wind and the possibility of closed airports on one of the year's busiest travel weekends.

While emergencies were declared in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, warnings and alerts were in place up till Maine.

Earlier, authorities ordered tourists to leave North Carolina vacation destination, the Ocracoke island. Even though the locals were not asked to leave, authorities hoped that they would follow the travellors out of the region as well.

Weather experts are still uncertain as to where along the shore the hurricane will hit.

OneIndia News