With wave heights projected at 15-20 feet along stretches of the coast – and up to 22 feet offshore in the Hudson Canyon – fears of severe beach erosion and dune destruction are mounting. The National Park Service at Cape Hatteras warned that protective dune systems “will likely inundate and destroy” under the battering seas.

Hurricane Erin is stirring off the East Coast, and officials warn its impact could be felt along several states despite forecasts keeping the storm offshore.