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Hurricane Earl Brings Rough Seas, Winds to Eastern US

   VOA News 03 September 2010
   Scene in Virginia Beach, as Hurricane Earl moves up the eastern coast,
   3 Sept 2010

Photo: AP

   Scene in Virginia Beach, as Hurricane Earl moves up the eastern coast,
   3 Sept 2010

   Hurricane  Earl  is  moving  north  after  brushing past coastal North
   Carolina, bringing rough seas, rains and powerful winds to large parts
   of the eastern United States.
   The  National  Hurricane  Center  says  the  storm  has weakened as it
   travels in the Atlantic Ocean.  It is now a Category 1 hurricane, the
   lowest level on the one-to-five scale of hurricane intensity.
   At  last  report, the storm was about 280 kilometers northeast of Cape
   Hatteras,  North  Carolina,  with  winds  of  up to 140 kilometers per
   hour.   It  is  expected  to  approach  the upper northeastern United
   States by late Friday.
   Hurricane  and tropical storm warnings and watches are in effect along
   the  coast  as  far north as Maine.  The governors of North Carolina,
   Virginia,   Maryland   and   Massachusetts  have  declared  states  of
   emergency.
   Residents  have  been  warned  to  take  precautions against dangerous
   winds, storm surges and heavy rainfall.
   U.S.  President  Barack  Obama  also  declared a state of emergency in
   North Carolina, allowing the federal government to coordinate disaster
   relief efforts there.
   Earl already has skirted parts of the eastern Caribbean, dumping heavy
   rains and causing flooding and power outages.
   Forecasters  are also watching Tropical Storm Fiona, which is expected
   to pass near Bermuda late Friday or early Saturday.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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