Dramatic aerial footage shows storm surge flooding homes and a motel in North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Aug. 19 as Hurricane Erin battered the coast. Officials ordered evacuations in Dare County, warning of life-threatening winds and rising waters.

As the edges of Hurricane Erin get closer to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, much attention has been placed on Highway 12, a roughly 150-mile-long byway that connects that state’s islands and peninsulas. It is beloved by locals and tourists because of its scenic views of the ocean, sand dunes and old lighthouses.

Hurricane Erin continues to move parallel to the East Coast and it is expected to bring a prolonged period of destructive surf and dangerous rip currents.

Storm surge warnings and tropical storm warnings have been issued in part of North Carolina, and conditions are starting to deteriorate as Erin lurks off the East Coast of the United States.

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy the last hurrahs of summer along the coast were met with rip current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inched closer Wednesday.

The wild horses of the Outer Banks of North Carolina are majestic, athletic and in total harmony with nature. As Hurricane Erin may stop by and sit for a spell,