Hurricane Erin has battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes.

Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Erin, while staying hundreds of miles off the Jersey Shore, brings rough surf, windy conditions and the potential for widespread coastal flooding to the region.

In a Facebook post Thursday, the Mount Washington Observatory posted a picture showing clouds from the storm's outflow.

Hurricane Erin has begun to move away from the North Carolina coast, the National Hurricane Center said in an Aug. 21 advisory.

On its Wednesday voyage to Block Island, a popular Rhode Island ferry battled unsettled seas caused by Hurricane Erin.

Hurricane Erin, far enough away from the East Coast yet close enough to show its impact along the shoreline, is pounding New England’s southern coastline with huge, crashing waves of up to 20 feet, prompting high surf and flooding advisories.

Hurricanes can change course fast, so here's a tip list for how to prepare and what to watch out for if you're hitting the road.

Officials are urging visitors to begin evacuating at 10 a.m. Monday from Hurricane Evacuation Zone A, which includes the unincorporated villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. Residents are to begin evacuating at 8 a.m. Tuesday.