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

Flooding was reported in New Jersey Aug. 21 as Hurricane Erin made its closest pass to the region. See scenes from around the state.

Hurricane Erin is hundreds of miles away from the tri-state area, but the monster storm is directly impacting the region with life-threatening rip currents, huge waves and strong winds. Beaches across New York and New Jersey are closed to swimming through at least Thursday,

Increased surf and dangerous rip currents are expected to continue along the eastern seaboard as Hurricane Erin moves into the North Atlantic.

As a Navy veteran, Tom Ellis had seen more-impressive waves on the open seas — but not on the ocean in the popular barrier island town of Ocean City that he and his wife Pat call home. Standing on the music pier Thursday morning listening to the percussive sounds of white caps stirred by Hurricane Erin crashing on pilings and storm drain pipes,

Several beaches in New Jersey and Delaware were closed as the powerful storm churned in the Atlantic. Rip currents have been blamed for at least one death.

Cape Hatteras, NC — Hurricane Erin continued its northward churn through the Atlantic on Tuesday, threatening dangerous surf and coastal flooding from the Bahamas to the U.S. East Coast, as tropical storm warnings and storm surge alerts were issued for parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of the storm’s closest approach late Wednesday.

Hurricane Erin’s drive-by impacts are forecast to generate multiple rounds of flooding in New Jersey beach towns from Sandy Hook to Cape May Point, and tropical storm warnings were in effect for the nearshore waters.