Beaches reopen in New York and North Carolina after Hurricane Erin

NEW YORK (AP) — New York and North Carolina have begun to reopen beaches that had been closed due to Hurricane Erin, which sent strong winds and dangerous waves across the U.S. East Coast.

Erin’s outer bands brushed North Carolina on Wednesday, but the storm never made landfall and caused no widespread damage to infrastructure despite being twice the size of an average hurricane. After progressing north in the Atlantic, it weakened into a post-tropical cyclone Friday, far from land.

In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Highway 12 on Hatteras Island opened at noon Saturday for residents, property owners and workers, according to North Carolina’s Department of Transportation. All restrictions will lift at 5 a.m. Sunday.

Beachgoers can also swim again at Jones Beach State Bark in New York and wade at Robert Moses State Park, but there are still restrictions at other beaches as conditions remain rough. Both beaches had been closed Thursday and Friday.

The Outer Banks — essentially sand dunes sticking out of the ocean a few feet above sea level — are vulnerable to erosion. Storm surges can cut through them, washing tons of sand and debris onto roads and sometimes breaking up pavement and creating new inlets. The dunes took a beating by Erin but there were no new inlets or significant structural damage to homes or businesses.