US prepares for hurricane Earl

1 September: Calm before the storm. Hatteras Village, North Carolina Photograph: Richard Clement/Reuters

1 September: Camera crews broadcast from the beach while tourists take a walk in Nags Head, North Carolina, as hurricane Earl approaches Photograph: Davis Turner/EPA

1 September: A fisherman waits at the end of the Oceanana Pier as hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast Photograph: Chuck Burton/AP

1 September: A window is boarded up with a message at the Buxton Beach Motel in Buxton, North Carolina, as hurricane Earl approaches the state's Outer Banks area Photograph: Gerry Broome/AP

1 September: People enjoy a day at Fort Lauderdale beach Photograph: Alan Diaz/AP

1 September: Sandbags that protected now-condemned houses along the southern beach are seen in Nags Head, North Carolina Photograph: Gerry Broome/AP

1 September : Satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows hurricane Earl moving through the Atlantic Ocean Photograph: NOAA/Getty Images

1 September: Don Jones screws down a sheet of plywood over a window to protect it from the winds of the approaching hurricane Earl in Buxton, North Carolina Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

1 September: Families from Newport News, Virginia, stand on the balcony of their rented beach house waving at passing cars. They said they would ride out the approaching storm Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

30 August: This satellite image, taken by an Expedition 24 crew member on the International Space Station, shows an oblique view of the eye of hurricane Earl just north of the Virgin Islands near 19.3 north latitude and 64.7 west longitude packing 115km winds. The photo was taken with a digital camera using a 50mm lens Photograph: NASA/Reuters

1 September: Carolyn Butler, a computer scientist, talks to reporters about the data gathered from Hurricane Earl. Butler is part of a research programme using three NASA aircraft flying over the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean sea to collect information aimed at discovering why hurricanes form and strengthen Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

2 September: People evacuate the Outer Banks area in Southern Shores, North Carolina. A mandatory evacuation notice has been issued for Dare County Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

2 September: Nathan King and his son Ethan load the family's luggage as they vacate a hotel and cut short a holiday in south Nags Head, North Carolina. The Dare County Control Group has issued a mandatory evacuation for all visitors in the area Photograph: Davis Turner/EPA

2 September: A digger dumps sand on a beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to help prevent inland flooding from hurricane Earl Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

2 September: Sherwin-Williams paint store assistant manager Emily Venable takes precautions and duct tapes the store windows as hurricane Earl approaches the Outer Banks city of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Photograph: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

2 September: Captain Dave Graham watches as his boat is pulled from the water in Wanchese, North Carolina, in preparation for Hurricane Earl Photograph: Gerry Broome/AP

2 September 2010: Hurricane Earl's eye taken from the HDVis camera on the underside of the Global Hawk aircraft. The Global Hawk captured this photo from an altitude of 60,000 ft (about 11.4 miles). It is one of three aircraft involved in the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment Photograph: NASA / NOAA /EPA

2 September 2010: A lone surfer battles the waves near the Oceana Pier as Hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast Photograph: Chuck Burton/AP

3 September 2010: People walk past a sign along the boardwalk referring to Hurricane Earl, in Ocean City, Maryland Photograph: Rob Carr/AP

3 September 2010: Rain and high winds from Hurricane Earl hit Nags Head, North Carolina Photograph: Richard Clement/Reuters

3 September 2010: Surfers ride waves in the water off Montauk lighthouse in New York. Much of the east coast is preparing for Hurricane Earl, now a category 2 storm with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. While current projections are that Earl will continue to weaken as it moves over cooler waters, it still described as a dangerous storm and the largest to make it into the New York City region since Hurricane Bob in 1991 Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

3 September 2010: Kellie Maier gets splashed by a passing car while kayaking on water-covered Highway 12, in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images