American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom

Disaster Alert

Hurricane Earl –

At 5:00 am EDT, the center of Hurricane Earl was located 85 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Earl is moving toward the north-northeast near 18 mph. An increase in forward speed and a turn toward the northeast are expected in the next 12 to 24 hours. On the forecast track, the center of Earl will move away from the North Carolina Outer Banks today and will approach southeastern New England tonight. Maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph, with higher gusts. Earl is a Category Two Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Slow weakening is forecast during the next 24 to 36 hours, but Earl is expected remain a large hurricane as it approaches southeastern New England. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles. NOAA buoy 41001 located southeast of the center recently reported sustained winds of 59 mph, with a gust to 72 mph.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Cape Lookout, North Carolina and northeastward to the North Carolina/Virginia border including the Pamlico and the eastern Albemarle sounds to Westport, Massachusetts eastward around Cape Cod to Hull, Massachusetts including Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for north of the North Carolina/Virginia border to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, including Delaware Bay south of Slaughter Beach and the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort to the coast of Long Island, New York from Fire Island Inlet eastward on the South Shore and Port Jefferson Harbor eastward on the North Shore and New Haven, Connecticut to west of Westport, Massachusetts, including Block Island and north of Hull, Massachusetts to the Merrimack River to Stonington, Maine eastward to Eastport, Maine. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for north of the Merrimack River to west of Stonington, Maine.

Preparedness and response activities are ongoing from North Carolina all the way up the East Coast to Maine. The President made an Emergency Disaster declaration for North Carolina and Massachusetts.

In preparation for Earl, chapters continue to monitor the event, identify human and material resources, and communicate with government agencies and community partners.

In response to Earl, chapters in North Carolina opened 12 shelters and supported another to assist hundreds of overnight evacuees.