Precautionary swimming advisory issued along part of NC Outer Banks after Hurricane Erin

CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE, N.C. (WNCN) — After Hurricane Erin brushed the North Carolina coast earlier this week, state recreational water officials issued a precautionary swimming advisory along part of the Outer Banks.

The area under the precautionary advisory includes the "ocean waters in and between the Villages of Rodanthe, Buxton, and Hatteras along Highway 12 on Cape Hatteras National Seashore," the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality said in a news release.

"The advisory is due to public health risks resulting from exposed septic drain fields and pumping of ocean over wash to the ocean surf," the release said. "Hurricane Erin caused extensive erosion and storm surge in this area."

People who swim in these areas become at risk for health problems such as diar