BUXTON, N.C. — A weakened Hurricane Earl howled past North Carolina’s Outer Banks before daybreak Friday on its way up the East Coast, flooding parts of the narrow vacation islands and knocking out power but staying farther offshore than feared. There were no immediate reports of any injuries. At first light, 1 to 2 feet of water covered roads in the community of Buxton on Cape Hatteras. A Jeep driving down the road had water up to its headlights.