The US East Coast is bracing itself for the arrival of Hurricane Earl.
The category four storm has already caused havoc in the eastern Caribbean, leading to the diversion of several Caribbean cruises.
Officials have already ordered the evacuation of an island off the coast of North Carolina.
The storm is due to hit as many Americans head to Cape Cod for the Labour Day vacation weekend.
On the same weekend in 1996, a 40-mile backup was caused when thousands of people tried to leave Cape Cod to avoid Hurricane Edouard.
Forecasters do not yet know if Hurricane Earl will travel parallel to the coast and then curve out to sea, or whether it will hit the coastline and head north toward New England.
By Bev Fearis
