(RALEIGH) -- Gov. Bev Perdue said state officials are ready to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which continues to move closer to the North Carolina coast.

Perdue said it’s too early to know for sure if the storm will make landfall in the state. In the meantime, she said the best thing citizens can do is prepare by updating their emergency plans and assembling a kit with enough supplies to last several days. “Plan for the worst, pray for the best,” Perdue said at a news conference in Raleigh.
 
The governor also encouraged visitors to avoid canceling any vacation plans just yet. She stressed that North Carolina would remain “open for business” until the storm’s path becomes clear.
 
“We don’t know where the track is going to be. Let’s please not try to dampen the enthusiasm for our state the last ten days of the vacation tourism cycle,” Perdue told reporters. “If on Thursday, we know that it’s coming – and it very likely will come – then we will go through every, every detail and people will have plenty of time. But we do have a plan in place.”

Still, officials ordered tourists off of Ocracoke Island starting early Wednesday morning. The only way on or off the island is by boat.North Carolina Ferry Division Spokesperson Lucy Wallace said Wednesday morning the ferries have not been full.
 
The National Hurricane Center in Miami upgraded Irene to a category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning.