NC 12 shut down near the Basnight Bridge over the Oregon Inlet to all southbound traffic as Hurricane Erin makes its closest pass to the Outer Banks.

Hurricane Erin battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway, damaged a waterside motel and swirled under beachfront homes

Officials are urging visitors to begin evacuating at 10 a.m. Monday from Hurricane Evacuation Zone A, which includes the unincorporated villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. Residents are to begin evacuating at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

NCDOT officials said "given the winds, wave heights and storm surge forecast, it likely won't be enough" to keep NC 12 from flooding at the Outer Banks.

See the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in the U.S. Plan your visit for the fall, when the temperatures are still mild and the summer tourists have left. “There are things we just don't have here,

Several days of heavy surf and high winds and waves could wash out parts of NC 12, which connects the popular vacation spot to the mainland, the National Weather Service said.

Hurricane Erin prompts evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands as NC braces for life-threatening coastal flooding. Follow Newsweek's live blog.