AccuWeather's Ali Reid reported from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where she covered the local impacts of Hurricane Erin as the storm swept through the area.
00:00From Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the wind is blowing and the sand, is it pelting you in the face, Allie?
00:12Well, Hurricane Aaron certainly making its presence known here in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
00:17Wind gusts anywhere from 40 to 45 miles per hour.
00:21It may not seem like that, but let me turn my back for one second here just to give you an idea.
00:26You hear that wind?
00:27Wind, that's a good perspective for you.
00:30It feels like just whipping sand in your face here in the Outer Banks, no doubt about it.
00:37Now, a lot of people coming up to me, having conversations, saying, why should we be concerned?
00:41It's not going to have that direct hit.
00:43It's not going to make a landfall here.
00:45But the big but, as we've been saying, is those tropical storm-like conditions, right?
00:50What we could potentially see throughout the day.
00:52Rain, we haven't really gotten that just yet.
00:55But the wind, as we're talking, and the rough surf.
00:58The Atlantic Ocean, very, very angry.
01:01At times, we are seeing anywhere from 7 to 10-foot waves here in this area.
01:06The pier really giving you a good perspective as those waves just crashing up against it.
01:12Now, here in Kitty Hawk, we're making out okay when it comes to the water splashing up and not really hitting those barriers.
01:20But about an hour south of where we are is going to be a much bigger concern.
01:26It's low-lying in that region.
01:28That is where the mandatory evacuations are.
01:30And if you weren't there, you aren't getting there.
01:33Okay, they closed high-way in and one way out.
01:39If you're staying here, if you're hunkering here, that is on you.
01:43Okay, they know that right now, if you're in that area, you are at a very, very high risk.
01:49Because if you can see how fast that water really comes up here, it gives you a good perspective as to what it could look like in those low-lying regions.
01:57They did a really good job the last 48 hours getting the sand up into a location to really try and make as much of a barrier as possible.
02:05But when we got talking to locals yesterday, they said this has been an ongoing issue, not just for something like Hurricane Aaron, but in previous storms.
02:13Take a listen as to what they had to say.
02:15Of course, we're worried about our brothers and sisters down in Hatteras.
02:18I feel like they're going to get hit worse than we are.
02:21We've always known Highway 12 to be somewhat concerning.
02:24It does close down occasionally.
02:27But I think, you know, the locals down there, they know what they're doing.
02:32We're praying that everything is going to go well for them.
02:38And again, she makes a good point.
02:40The locals there know what they're doing.
02:42They are familiar with the conditions that these storms can bring in those areas.
02:47So again, something to watch over the next couple of hours as these conditions continue to hit this area here in Kitty Hawk.
02:53One more thing I want to show you guys.
02:55I had to laugh.
02:56It gave me a good chuckle.
02:57My photographer, Andy, and I, we found a bottle, okay, that had gotten washed ashore.
03:03And we said, is there a message in that bottle?
03:06Oh, there was a message in the bottle.
03:09But unfortunately, for the person that wrote this, hold on, I think he may have put his name on it.
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