They don't know if this storm is hitting the Banks or not yet. At a glance, this is a Shackleford swell with Nag's Head winds. I'd check the south side, eg northeast/north facing bit, of unarmored, or lightly armored inlets, looking for something that will take a groundswell and enjoys SSW/SW winds.
Generally, after the hurricane is North of you is the best. Lighthouse isn't horny for SSE/S/SSW. You want that thing to peel off and go out to sea, and you want that period to shorten up. There are no canyons. If you think El Porto is closed out on groundswells, you have another thing coming when you see East Coast beachbreak with it.
If you do wind up in a groundswell + offshore winds situation, ask for longboard spots. Spots with deep sandbars, or are tide-flooded. The wave will be softer in terms of dumping top to bottom, but it will probably have a better chance to hold a line and do turns.
For Hatteras, you want a depression about 250 miles off the Delmarva peninsula, or a cutoff low, somewhere between the Chesapeake and Lawn Guy Land. Short period + offshores. One and dones. Nameless gales out by Bermuda with local frontal passage serving offshores.
If that hurricane is going to be a Cat 2 on the head, my guess is, you will get told to f--k off at a bridge, it will eat a road or three, and you'll be surfing Va Beach with 873410497612364982316442381 people.