Hurricane Earl still a threat

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A weakening but still dangerous Hurricane Earl steamed toward the gray-shingled cottages and fishing villages of Cape Cod yesterday, disrupting people's vacations on the unofficial final weekend of the short New England summer.

Packing winds of 110kmh, the storm swirled up the Eastern Seaboard after sideswiping North Carolina's Outer Banks, where it caused flooding but no injuries and little damage. For the most part, it was expected to swing wide of New York City and Long Island, and much of the rest of the mid-Atlantic region, but pass close by Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard, bringing rain and high winds.

Vacationers pulled their boats from the water and cancelled Labour Day weekend reservations on Nantucket, the well-to-do resort island and old-time whaling port expected to get the worst of the storm. Shopkeepers boarded up their windows. Swimmers in New England were warned to stay out of the water - or off the beach altogether - because of the danger of getting swept away by high waves.

Airlines cancelled dozens of flights into New England, and Amtrak suspended train service between New York and Boston.

As of yesterday, no large-scale evacuations were ordered for the Cape Cod area, where fishermen and other hardy year-round residents have been dealing with gusty north-easters for generations.

"We kind of roll with the punches out here. It's not a huge deal for us," said Scott Thomas, president of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce.

- AP