AP Photo/Chuck Burton
The surf pounds the Oceana Pier as Hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010.
AP Photo/Gerry Broome
Clouds from the outer bands of Hurricane Earl appear over the Atlantic ocean at sunrise in Nags Head, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, as Earl approaches the east coast. Hurricane Earl with winds swirling at around 145 mph continued to barrel toward the Eastern Seaboard and forecasters were trying to pinpoint exactly how close the strongest winds and heaviest surge would get to North Carolina's fragile chain of barrier islands.
AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Stephen M. Katz
Justin Hartleben, left, Jared Hartleben, center, and Kevin Hall, with Caswell Construction, board up a home in Nags Head, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, in preparation for the possible landfall of Hurricane Earl.
AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Peter Flynn, right, Brita Flynn, left, and Melissa Bennett, center, cover books and desks with plastic sheeting at the Carteret Public Library as Hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Virginia Beach lifeguards scan the water from the top of a protective sand berm that construction crews built to protect against storm surge from Hurricane Earl on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, in Virginia Beach, Va.
AP Photo/Gerry Broome
A window is boarded up with a message at the Buxton Beach Motel in Buxton, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 as Hurricane Earl approaches North Carolina's Outer Banks. The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency Wednesday in advance of the storm.
AP Photo/Gerry Broome
A surfer rides the waves as Hurricane Earl aproaches in Buxton, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. A tourist evacuation of Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island was ordered Wednesday as the powerful storm approaches North Carolina's Outer Banks.
AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Jay Farley, top, installs covers to a homeowner's oceanfront window as Jason Wheeler, bottom, looks on as Hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010.
Personal Photo
This picture provided by NASA Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock via Twitpic shows Hurricane Earl as seen from space on Aug. 31, 2010.
"Hurricane Earl is gathering some serious strength," Wheelock wrote. "It is incredible what a difference a day makes when you're dealing with this force of nature. Please keep a watchful eye on this one...not sure if Earl will go quietly into the night like Danielle."
AP Photo/Gerry Broome
A ferry with cars from Ocracoke Island docks in Hatteras, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. An evacuation of Ocracoke is underway as Hurricane Earl approaches the North Carolina Outer Banks. A hurricane warning was issued for the North Carolina coast Wednesday morning.
AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo
A boy takes cover from a wave caused by the approaching of the Hurricane Earl in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Earl battered some islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds Monday, rapidly intensifying into a major Category 4 storm on a path projected to menace the United States.
AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo
Tourists walk along the beach in the Condado neighborhood under cloudy skies caused by the approaching Hurricane Earl in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday Aug. 30, 2010.
AP Photo/Andres Leighton
Wind caused by the approaching Hurricane Earl kicks up waves and blows palm trees in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday Aug. 30, 2010.
AP Photo/Andres Leighton
Luis Colon uses an umbrella to shield himself from rain and wind caused by the approaching Hurricane Earl in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday Aug. 30, 2010.
Renee Petrillo
Earl kicked up some rough seas as seem from this webcam imagetaken around 12:30 p.m. in St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Monday, Aug. 30, 2010.
AP Photo/Johnny Jno-Baptiste
Army soldiers help to remove a fallen tree at the village of Liberta after the passage of Hurricane Earl near Antigua, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Earl battered some islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds Monday, rapidly intensifying into a major storm on a path projected to menace the United States.
AP Photo/Johnny Jno-Baptiste
A sunken boat is seen after the passage of Hurricane Earl at the St. John's harbor, Antigua, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Earl battered some islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds Monday, rapidly intensifying into a major storm on a path projected to menace the United States.
