Hurricane Erin's higher tides and big waves are battering much of the East Coast, with the huge storm prompting the expansion of tropical storm and coastal flooding advisories on Wednesday. Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion.

The National Hurricane Center warned that roads in the low-lying barrier islands may become impassable, with waves as high as 20 feet crashing ashore.