Storm-hit Outer Banks ferry crossing cracks windscreen as water floods vehicle

A storm battered the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Saturday, making a ferry crossing to Ocracoke Island frightening for passengers. Megan Lawing said waves hit the vehicle deck hard enough to crack a neighbouring car’s windscreen, while water began entering it; she described the experience as unlike any of her previous visits.

Winds reached up to 50 mph, and Dare County officials urged people to avoid hazardous roads and warned that high tide could bring water onto highways. Visitors to Hatteras Island were ordered to evacuate on Friday. The wider nor’easter was expected to bring coastal flooding and strong winds for several days, with flood advisories affecting more than three million people from Florida to New Jersey.