Hurricane Erin has triggered a state of emergency in North Carolina, where residents and visitors along the Outer Banks are under evacuation orders.

Hurricane Erin has begun to track into the open ocean and away from the North Carolina, but storm surge warnings remain in place for parts of the state and the storms effects are still expected to be felt along the East Coast.

The National Hurricane Center warned that roads in the low-lying barrier islands may become impassable, with waves as high as 20 feet crashing ashore. The heavy surf is likely to result in significant beach erosion, it said in its 8 a.m. EDT update.