This image provided by NASA shows Hurricane Earl taken by astronaut Douglas Wheelock aboard the International Space Station and posted Aug. 31, 2010. Earl was expected to remain over the open ocean before turning north and running parallel to the East Coast, bringing high winds and heavy rain to North Carolina's Outer Banks by late Thursday or early Friday. (AP Photo/NASA)
Dare County officials on Wednesday morning ordered the evacuation of visitors on Hatteras Island. Officials worry that high waves could wash over N.C. Highway 12, the principle road along the Outer Banks.
Officials say they are monitoring the storm before deciding whether to evacuate other parts of the county.
A mandatory evacuation is under way on neighboring Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. The first ferries began evacuating people to the mainland shortly after 6 a.m.
Earl weakened to a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday as it whipped across the Caribbean with winds near 125 mph.
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