Brunswick County declared a state of emergency Wednesday after issuing a voluntary evacuation order earlier in the day. The declaration puts the county in a position to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Mangagement Agency for any damage the storm causes.

Sunset Beach implemented a mandatory evacuation at 8 p.m. Wednesday for the island portion of the town, with its bridge expected to close once winds top 30 mph. Holden Beach and Ocean Isle Beach expected to keep their bridges open unless sustained winds top 50 mph.

At 11 p.m., the center of Isabel was about 250 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and moving toward the north-northwest at 13 mph. The outer bands of the storm are already coming ashore.

The storm had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane from a Category 5, 160-mph monster, but was still expected to be dangerous when it hit the barrier islands Thursday morning with a storm surge of up to 11 feet. Hurricane force winds extend up to 115 miles from the storm's center, with tropical storm force winds extending up to 315 miles.

Forecasters expect the storm to turn toward the northwest and pick up forward speed just before making landfall.

Locally, Brunswick, Horry and Georgetown counties are all in the tropical storm warning area of the East Coast.

The National Weather Service is predicting Brunswick County will experience sustained periods of 35- to 45-mph winds with higher gusts possible.

Residents in Horry and Georgetown counties can expect 30- to 40-mph winds during the day Thursday, when Isabel is expected to be parallel to the coast approaching landfall. Grand Strand emergency officials expect wind gusts from 40 to 50 mph starting early Thursday.

More than 230,000 people in North Carolina and Virginia were urged to move to higher ground, leaving the vulnerable Outer Banks mostly evacuated. Evacuation orders were also posted for low-lying inland areas and islands of the Chesapeake Bay, which could get a 7-foot surge.

"Right now, the forecast calls for it to maintain the intensity it's at currently," meteorologist Bill Read said at the National Hurricane Center.

A hurricane warning was in effect from Cape Fear in southern North Carolina northward to the Virginia-Maryland state line, including most of Chesapeake Bay. Tropical storm warnings extended northward to Sandy Hook, N.J., and southward along the South Carolina coast to South Santee River.

Horry County officials on Wednesday remained on "Alert" status, which means county officials are continuing to talk with S.C. Emergency Management and other coastal communities.

Brunswick County schools closed early Wednesday and will reopen Friday. Brunswick Community College also will be close Thursday. No school closures or delays were planned for Horry and Georgetown counties.

Shelters are open at Brunswick County schools. Residents with special needs are urged to evacuate to the shelter being opened at West Brunswick High School, county emergency management director Randy Thompson said.

In Georgetown, the U.S. Coast Guard reported no calls from boats in distress as staff members buttoned up the agency's station there.

"It's just the Coast Guard's policy that if a hurricane is going to be in the area in 24 hours, we do this," said Petty Officer Roger Jackson.

An evacuation likely won't be needed in Horry or Georgetown counties if Isabel holds to its projected path, said Joe Farmer, public information director for the S.C. Emergency Management Division.

One to 2 inches of rain is expected in Horry and Georgetown counties, with 2 to 3 inches in Brunswick County.

Coastal S.C. residents, particularly in Horry and Georgetown counties, should not let down their guard, Farmer said. Emergency management officials in Horry and Georgetown counties have not issued any alerts.

Rip tide and high surf warnings remained in effect, the National Weather Service said.

And how was the surf?

"Rough," said Billy Hodge of Myrtle Beach as he headed off the beach around 1:30 p.m.

S.C. highway officials sent Horry County's ubiquitous road crews back to work on Wednesday, two days after highway construction was mothballed in anticipation of evacuating the region to escape Isabel.

Jim Wylie, who oversees the construction of the next phase of Carolina Bays Parkway south of U.S. 501, said his earthmovers were back on the job Wednesday morning after the hiatus. Bridge workers building a new overpass above U.S. 501 have been moved to other jobs elsewhere in the state and have yet to return, he said.

Work is likely to restart on S.C. 544 Thursday as crews reassemble, said Horry Parker, vice president of Cape Romain Contractors, which is building bridges along the road.

Parkers crews weren't pulled from their projects renovating swing bridges at Socastee and Little River because those projects weren't on main evacuation routes, Parker said.

Farmer said emergency officials expect continued meetings and conferences with Gov. Mark Sanford until the threat has passed the state.

In North Carolina, after days of warnings, anxiety over the onrushing hurricane finally appeared to take hold, even among longtime Outer Banks residents who pride themselves on their ability to ride out big storms.

"There's probably no one in the area within a quarter-mile," said Jason Ribeiro.

Ribeiro had planned to play a gig with his Nags Head, N.C., rockabilly band Wednesday night. But with most of his neighbors gone and bars closed under an evacuation order, he packed his sport utility vehicle with five guitars and headed out onto a mainland road virtually clear after days of hurricane warnings.

For many in Isabel's path, an area stretching from the Carolinas to the fields of Pennsylvania and the hollows of West Virginia, one of the rainiest summers in years could get considerably worse.

More than 9 inches of rain was forecast for parts of Pennsylvania, and National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield said heavy rain could extend all the way to New England.

Gov. Bob Wise declared a state of emergency for all of West Virginia, anticipating heavy flooding in the Potomac River basin. He also ordered highway crews and National Guardsmen to areas most in danger from Isabel. Up to 12 inches was possible in Morgan County.

Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner declared a state of emergency, saying she was particularly concerned about a northern part of the state still recovering from flooding that washed away roads and creek beds Monday.

Pennsylvania officials said the ground is so sodden that it would take as little as 2 to 4 inches of rain to cause rivers and creeks to spill their banks.

In Kill Devil Hills, N.C., museum curators prepared to move artifacts and photographs collected for the centennial celebration of the Wright brothers' first flight.

As far north as Massachusetts, farmers worked overtime to harvest delicate apples and pears that could be destroyed by a big storm.