Hurricane Erin's outer bands were beginning to lash the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands early Monday after regaining Category 4 strength overnight.

Hurricane Erin intensified into a Category 4 storm, lashing the Caribbean with powerful winds and triggering evacuations in North Carolina’s Outer Banks as dangerous surf and rip currents threaten the US East Coast this week.

The federal government has sent more than 200 workers from FEMA and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precautionary measure.

Erin has become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season with strong waves and rip currents possible along the East Coast of the United States as early as next week.

U.S. shores are unlikely to see a direct hit, but a strong offshore hurricane can produce massive and dangerous waves well away from its center.

Thousands of people are without power in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Erin batters the Caribbean. The storm is expected to bring rough conditions along the East Coast. CBS News New York's Ali Bauman reports.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4,

Hurricane Erin intensified from Category 3 to Cat 5 in just a couple of hours. Though not expected to make landfall, Erin will create dangerous rip currents next week.

The NHC said it currently expected Erin to become a Category 4 storm later Saturday but to eventually swerve away from the continental United States.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to remain well offshore but still bring hazardous currents and possible erosion like previous offshore hurricanes before it.