Hurricane Earl closes in on U.S. East Coast

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) image show Hurricane Earl. Hurricane Earl bore down on a vast stretch of the US East Coast on Thursday, as tens of thousands of people fled North Carolina's barrier islands to avoid dangerous winds and surf.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Local residents fish from a pier over the Atlantic Ocean as the area awaits Hurricane Earl in Nags Head, North Carolina September 2, 2010. Hurricane Earl took aim at North Carolina on Thursday and was on track to lash its barrier islands with dangerous winds and pounding surf before cutting a path up the U.S. East Coast to Canada. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the massive Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity had top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) after weakening slightly from its expected peak wind-strength early on Thursday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Kill Devil Hills firefighter John Smith III fastens metal shutters over the windows of a fire station as Hurricane Earl approaches the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Catagory 4 hurricane was on course to lash the coast of North Carolina and then move north, wreaking havoc on the end-of-summer Labor Day holiday weekend. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

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. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Hurricane Earl took aim at North Carolina on Thursday and was on track to lash its barrier islands with dangerous winds and pounding surf before cutting a path up the U.S. East Coast to Canada. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the massive Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity had top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) after weakening slightly from its expected peak wind-strength early on Thursday.