Pounding surf and high winds from Hurricane Erin were expected to intensify Thursday as the powerful storm comes about as a close as it is going to get to the

Standing on the music pier Thursday morning listening to the percussive sounds of white caps stirred by Hurricane Erin crashing on pilings and storm drain pipes, they watched in wonder and hoped that any flooding would kindly avoid the house on 27th Street they bought 30 years ago.

Hurricane Erin's higher tides and big waves are battering much of the East Coast, with the huge storm prompting the expansion of tropical storm and coastal flooding advisories on Wednesday. Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion.