The outer bands of Hurricane Erin neared North Carolina's Outer Banks on Wednesday evening, prompting the National Hurricane Center to issue warnings against swimming at most East Coast beaches.

While hundreds of residents and tourists evacuated North Carolina’s Outerbanks on Tuesday, others got caught in some of the earliest flooding from Hurricane Erin. The combination of the storm and high tide sent waves surging into homes, hotels and Highway 12 - the only way in and out of those islands.