As Hurricane Erin churned off the North Carolina coast this week, its powerful waves destroyed most of the remaining sea turtle nests on Emerald Isle, dealing a blow to what had been shaping up as a successful nesting season.

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.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

North Carolina expects coastal flooding from massive waves, tropical-storm-force winds and tidal and storm surges for much of the state shoreline, especially the Outer Banks, as well as life-threatening rip currents for most of the week, Stein said, adding, "No one should be in the ocean."

Delays and funding cuts within state and federal governments are raising concerns about North Carolina’s ability to respond to hurricanes or other natural disasters in the near future. Hurricane Erin,

A powerful and sprawling Hurricane Erin continued lashing hundreds of miles of coastline along the Eastern Seaboard with its outer bands Thursday morning, proving a storm of such size doesn't need to make landfall to bring widespread impacts.

Several homes along the beach in Rodanthe, North Carolina, have collapsed into the Atlantic over the years due to beach erosion. Swells from Hurricane Erin are threatening even more. Chairman of the Dare County Commissioners Bob Woodard, Sr., joins FOX Weather to talk about why the homes haven't been removed and what the county is watching out for.