Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday.

The storm has triggered a state of emergency in North Carolina and has caused residents and visitors along the Outer Banks to be under evacuation orders.

One family’s spontaneous vacation turned into a scramble for safety when Hurricane Erin forced a last-minute evacuation.

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.

Residents across North Carolina’s Outer Banks and coast braced for flooding from storm surge and powerful winds Wednesday as Hurricane Erin churned hundreds of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean.

Wednesday will be warm and sunny with a few pop-up showers and storms in the afternoon, while Hurricane Erin continues to track north-northwest and away from the coast, but will still cause rip currents and potential beach erosion and flooding.

Two homes on North Carolina's Outer Banks sit precariously in high waves generated by Hurricane Erin with their days seemingly numbered.

"Outer bands of large Hurricane Erin nearing the North Carolina Outer Banks,'' the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET update, pointing out swimming at most East Coast beaches is strongly discouraged "due to life-threatening surf and rip currents." Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Beaches along the New Jersey coast and in Delaware were closed Tuesday as the powerful storm churned in the Atlantic. New York City announced its beaches would close on Wednesday and Thursday.

North Carolina residents share their thoughts on the possible impact of Hurricane Erin to the Outer Banks where they live. (AP video: Allen Breed)