Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion. Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Erin is just under 300 miles from North Carolina's Outer Banks. Waves are building and beaches are closed in Nags Head where FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne reports that officials are concerned for residents who have not evacuated nearby Hatteras Island.

ABC News' Victor Oquendo reports from the Outer Banks where it's among the hardest hit areas from Hurricane Erin as waves crash beneath beach houses and parts of the main road flooded.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns up the east coast of the U.S. as a Category 2 storm.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 storm, has triggered a state of emergency in North Carolina, where residents and visitors along the Outer Banks are under evacuation orders. The Outer Banks is also under a tropical storm warning; Erin is forecast to hit the islands with heavy rain and rough winds on Wednesday night.

Videos show massive waves lashing abandoned homes on North Carolina's Outer Banks as the storm passes the U.S.

Hurricane Erin on Tuesday remained a major hurricane as headed north in the Atlantic prompting coastal advisories for Florida while the National Hurricane Center kept track of two tropical waves