Holly Andrzejewski hadn't yet welcomed her and her family's first guests to the Atlantic Inn on Hatteras Island when she had to start rescheduling them — as Hurricane Erin neared North Carolina's Outer Banks on Tuesday and threatened to whip up wild waves and tropical force winds.

Andrzejewski and her husband purchased the bed-and-breakfast, known as the oldest inn on the island, less than a week ago. By Monday they had brought in all the outdoor furniture and made sure their daughter and her boyfriend, who are the innkeepers, had generators, extra water and flashlights as they stayed behind to keep an eye on the property.

"It's just one of those things where you know this is always a possibility and it could happen, and you just make the best out of it. Otherwise you wouldn't live a

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