Tourists told to evacuate holiday islands as Hurricane Earl threatens U.S. east coast

Tourists in North Carolina holiday islands are being asked to board ferries and head for the mainland as the powerful Hurricane Earl threatens to hit the coast. Emergency officials began an evacuation of around 5,000 visitors on Ocracoke Island at around 5am today. It comes as NASA prepared to launch an unmanned 'hurricane chaser' aircraft which will fly close to the category four hurricane and monitor its progress as it nears the U.S.The Global Hawk weather reconnaissance drone is due to take off later today and will catch up to Hurricane Earl as it moves through the Caribbean islands. This weekend is the traditional end of the summer in the U.S., culminating in the Labor Day holiday on Monday, and many people would be expecting to spend the last week on the beach. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warned people around the eastern seaboard to prepare for further evacuations. Islanders on the Turks and Caicos battened down the hatches this morning as the storm - with winds up to 135 mph - moved across the Caribbean. (Daily Mail)