North Carolina's governor says her state is ready for Earl. She says it's up to coastal residents to get to a safe place as the storm passes by.

Earl is headed for the Outer Banks of North Carolina with top sustained winds near 140 miles an hour and higher gusts. The center of Earl is about 300 miles south of Cape Hatteras.

Gov. Beverly Perdue says it's a "serious storm," and that residents need to treat it as one. Three counties have issued evacuation orders, but Perdue said emergency officials can't make residents leave. Some locals who are familiar with hurricanes vowed to ride out the storm. Officials say they should be ready to fend for themselves for up to three days.

Evacuations continued early today on the coast, with residents and visitors told to leave two barrier islands -- including the one where the Wright Brothers National Memorial marks their first successful airplane flights at Kitty Hawk.

The Outer Banks had only light winds and high clouds early Thursday. Those conditions are expected to deteriorate throughout the day.