BUXTON, North Carolina (AP) — Hurricane Earl barreled toward the U.S. Eastern Seaboard on Thursday with winds swirling at around 145 mph. Forecasters were trying to pinpoint how close the strongest winds and heaviest surge would get to North Carolina's fragile chain of barrier islands, and whether the storm would threaten parts of the Northeast.

Already, the governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland had declared states of emergency as Earl whirled into a powerful Category 4 storm. The highest storm category is 5 that has winds of 155 mph (250 kph) and higher.

"There is still concern that this track, the core of the storm, could shift a little farther to the west and have a very significant impact on the immediate coastline. Our present track keeps it off shore, but you never know," National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm warning early Thursday for the coast of Long Island in New York and a hurricane watch was issued for areas of Massachusetts.

Earl's first encounter with the U.S. mainland should come around midnight Thursday, as the storm is forecast to pass just off North Carolina's Cape Hatteras, bringing wind gusts of up to 100 mph.

Early Thursday, North Carolina's Outer Banks had only light winds and high clouds as the eye of Earl was hundreds of miles south of Cape Hatteras. Those conditions were expected to deteriorate throughout the day.

While thousands of tourists heeded calls to evacuate Hatteras Island, locals familiar with hurricanes vowed to ride out Earl, preparing to spend days stranded from the mainland.

"I worry about not being able to get back here,'" said Nancy Scarborough, who manages the Hatteras Cabanas. "I'd rather be stuck on this side than that side."

Along with the 30,000 residents and visitors asked to leave Hatteras Island, 5,000 more tourists were ordered to leave Ocracoke Island, which is only accessible by ferry and airplane.

Evacuations continued early Thursday, with residents and visitors leaving a barrier island in Carteret County.

Emergency Services Director Jo Ann Smith said she wasn't sure how many people were affected by the order to leave the Bogue Banks areas. Unlike some of the barrier islands on the Outer Banks who had to take a ferry, Smith said people could simply leave in their cars.

Many people — boaters, beachgoers and residents alike — were adopting a wait–and–see approach, making simple preparations like stocking up on food or attaching hurricane shutters to their houses. But with the likelihood that the storm's ultimate path will become clear on Thursday, officials expect planning to shift into high gear.

"Post–Katrina, people are really sensitive to storm preparedness," said Trace Cooper, mayor of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. "I don't think we're going to see too many people sticking around and saying they're going to have hurricane parties. You see enough pictures of people waiting on their roofs to be rescued and you decide to take precautions."

The North Carolina National Guard is deploying 80 troops to help and President Barack Obama declared an emergency in the state. The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

Farther up the East Coast, emergency officials urged people to have disaster plans and supplies ready and weighed whether to order evacuations as they watched the latest maps from the hurricane center.

If Earl moves farther east, Friday might just be modestly wet and blustery for millions in the Northeast. If the storm runs along the western edge of the forecast, dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and hurricane–force winds could hit.

In Boston, some boaters had already pulled their crafts from the water in anticipation of rough seas, said Harwich Assistant Harbor Master Heinz Proft. The Labor Day weekend is about the time of year when people start pulling their boats anyway, so some are just accelerating the process.

"It's been a small percentage so far, but we are encouraging people to be proactive," he said.

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Associated Press (News - Alert) Writers Martha Waggoner and Emery Dalesio in Raleigh, North Carolina; Tom Breen in Morehead City, North Carolina; Bruce Smith in Kure Beach, North Carolina; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Suzette Laboy in Miami; Bob Lewis in Bristol, Virginia; Dena Potter in Norfolk, Virginia; Mark Pratt in Boston; Frank Eltman in Southampton, New York; and Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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