The first hurricane to hit Florida in more than a decade wiped away beachside buildings and toppled trees onto homes Friday before plowing inland on a path that could send it rolling up the densely populated East Coast with heavy rain, high winds and flooding.
North Carolina's Outer Banks will likely be drenched as a tropical weather system blows by with up to 5 inches of heavy rain. But the storm was not expected to surpass tropical-storm strength before curving out to sea on Wednesday.