N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras Island reopened Saturday post-Hurricane Erin, with a staged reentry for locals, property owners, employees and, afterwards, visitors. The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Saturday that N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras Island is safe for travel after 12 p.m.

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.