DARE COUNTY, N.C. — Dare County officials will lift evacuation orders for Hatteras Island in phases on Saturday after the North Carolina Department of Transportation now deems all of N.C. 12 in the county safe for travel.

Dare County announces staged reentry process The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has announced that N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras Island will be safe for travel at 12 p.m., and

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."

OUTER BANKS, N.C. (WITN) - Though Erin is moving away from the NC coast, its impacts are still lingering and keeping parts of the Outer Banks’ major highway closed. Hwy 12 will stay closed at the Marc Basnight Bridge and on the north end of Ocracoke at this time.

Hurricane Erin is marching north, lashing North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding, and bringing a threat of dangerous waves and potentially deadly rip currents to the East Coast.

Dare County remains under a State of Emergency, which includes the mandatory evacuation of Hatteras Island. Friday, the Dare County damage assessment teams were deployed to Hatteras Island. The team is conducting a post-storm damage assessment to determine the severity of the impact of Erin on the community.

Beginning at noon Saturday, residents, property owners, and workers will be able to access NC12 at the Basnight Bridge.

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.

Increased surf and dangerous rip currents are expected to continue along the eastern seaboard as Hurricane Erin moves into the North Atlantic.