Hurricane Erin is nearing the North Carolina coast, and its far-reaching effects are already causing rip currents and bigger waves along East Coast beaches.

H urricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, has prompted a state of emergency in North Carolina and is expected to bring dangerous waves and rip currents to beaches along the East Coast. "To folks on the coast, now is the time to prepare," North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned on Tuesday.

North Carolina’s governor urged state residents along the coast to prepare and listen to emergency guidelines in anticipation of the storm.

Most of the tourists have left Ocracoke Island, and the surfers are watching closely as deadly rip currents lurk below the waves.

Hurricane Erin fluctuated in intensity on Monday and expanded in size as people fled North Carolina's Outer Banks.

At least 18 youth summer camps across North Carolina stand on or are very near federally designated floodways and flood zones, according to state and federal maps reviewed by The News & Observer. Three of those are located in high flood risk areas, as defined by federal regulators.