Virgin Islands National Park Battered by Earl, But OK. Capes Lookout and Hatteras Next Up

Hurricane Earl drenched Virgin Islands National Park, but that was about it. Top photo shows the park's visitor center in good weather, bottom photo was taken during the hurricane. Top photo by National Biological Information Infrastructure, bottom photo NPS.

Virgin Islands National Park has survived Hurricane Earl with only heavy rains and a few downed trees to report, but park officials aren't ready to take their hurricane shutters down just yet.

And in North Carolina, officials at Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras national seashores, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are preparing for Earl's arrival later this week.

In the Caribbean, Park Service officials reported the following in the wake of Hurricane Earl:

* Virgin Islands National Park – Heavy rain and strong winds struck the park early Monday, knocking down numerous large trees. The park remained closed, with all public buildings and park houses closed up. Hurricane shutters will remain in place until it’s determined where and when Tropical Storm Fiona, following in Hurricane Earl’s wake, will hit. Cleanup operations and a damage assessment will begin today.

* Christiansted National Historic Site – At the time of the report (early Monday), the park was receiving some wind and rain, but the most consequential impacts were expected in the afternoon.

* San Juan National Historic Site – Heavy rain and winds were reported on Monday morning. The park was secured prior to the hurricane’s arrival and all staff were released. Current plans are to reopen on Wednesday.

In North Carolina, the superintendent of the Outerbanks Group has assigned an incident command team for Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers, and Fort Raleigh to prepare those areas for Earl.

Also, at Cape Hatteras officials are limiting campers to just one night at a time in seashore campgrounds.