US bracing for Hurricane Earl

A category four Hurricane Earl is maintaining its path for the US east coast, with sustained winds of 215 kilometres or 135 miles per hour.



A hurricane watch has been issued for most of the North Carolina coastline, just ahead of the Labour Day weekend.



The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has warned people along the eastern seaboard to prepare for evacuations.



Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say they expect the hurricane to turn north and then run parallel to the US east coast.



They says it’s too early to tell how close it might come to land, but they expect Earl to bring high winds and heavy rains to North Carolina's Outer Banks by late tomorrow or early Friday, even if it stays offshore.



The hurricane could then travel up the coast on the following days, affecting coastal regions from the Carolinas all the way north to Maine and disrupting the plans of holiday makers who like to spend the Labour Day holiday weekend at the beach.