Hurricane Erin battered North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes before slowly moving away.

Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion. Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.

Hurricane Erin moves offshore but still threatens East Coast with dangerous surf, rip currents, and tropical winds. Follow Newsweek's live blog.

A "wild" video shows the moment waves from Hurricane Erin crashed into homes in the Outer Banks. The North Carolina homes were protected by stilts as the water rushed down the street and around them, according to the video, which was published by The New York Post. The Post referred to the water as a "tidal surge."

Two coastal homes in Rodanthe, North Carolina, appear on the verge of collapse as Hurricane Erin's wind and waves lash the East Coast.

The storm flooded parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks, including a section of the main highway. It's now turning away from the East Coast, but dangerous surf and rip currents are likely from Florida to Maine.

The road remains closed south of Oregon Inlet and impassable in several places, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Forecasters predicted the storm would peak Thursday and said it could regain strength but was expected to turn out to sea.

Hurricane Erin is bringing strong waves and life-threatening rip currents to the Atlantic coast, including Florida, leading to warnings in some areas as the storm moves east of the U.S. over the Atlantic.