BOSTON --Hurricane Earl weakened to a tropical storm late Friday night as it made its way toward New England, bringing wind and rain to Nantucket.

"The call for the storm is lessening, but we still anticipate some potential damage. Even a tropical storm can have a lot of damage -- particularity with folks losing power," said Peter Judge of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. "There is going to be a lot of rain associated with this."

Earl brought rain and high winds as it passed just off Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard late Friday night. At one point, maximum sustained winds were at 75 mph, just above the threshold for a hurricane.

Homeowners on Nantucket were taking no chances. Residents in the Madaket area, which is considered a high-risk flood area, put sandbags around their property to protect it from the sea.

Gene Ratner's home survived high tide. Powerful waves pounded the house for hours.

Twenty feet of sandbags under the back side of the structure withstood the early effects of Hurricane Earl.

For some homeowners, the ocean view became less appealing as the hours ticked by.

Bea and Dave Emery said felt confident their home, which sits on stilts, would survive the blow.

"Once in a while you want some action, and fortunately this house was designed for this," Dave Emery said.

Dan and Julie Bathon are riding out the downgraded storm from their house close to an eroding dune.

"If God wants that dune, he'll take it. There's nothing we can do about it," Dan Bathon said.

Chatham Harbormaster Stuart Smith expected the storm to produce minor flooding on the Cape. Some Cape store owners boarded up windows with plywood, but many remained open, busy with Labor Day weekend tourists.

"We found out that the storm was not going to be a Category 2 or 3, so here we are," one tourist said.

"It doesn't seem like it is going to be anywhere near what they expected it to be," another tourist said. "In my opinion, it's turned into a big dud. It's too bad."

Several surfers ignored warnings, closed beaches and the dangers of the sea, taking to 8- to 12-foot waves.

Earlier Friday, President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for Massachusetts ahead of Hurricane Earl's arrival off the state's coast.

The action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts should the storm cause serious damage to the state. It also paves the way for financial aid.

The order covers Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk and Worcester counties.

Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency on Thursday, saying it would allow Massachusetts to respond quickly to the storm. On Friday, he reassured residents that the state was ready for whatever Earl may deliver.

"We're prepared. The National Guard has been deployed and the state police have added troopers as well. Water and other commodities have been prepositioned on the Cape and the islands if they should be needed," Patrick said.

He said he wants everyone safe before the storm hits.

"The public should continue to take precautions; in particular stay indoors and off the roads during the height of the storm. Exercise extreme caution this afternoon during the times when the winds pick up," Patrick said.

"We need to respect this storm as it comes across New England, the Cape and the islands," said FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino. "We still plan on working to plan for the worst, but hope for the best as we move forward today."

Extra National Grid crews were moved to the island help with any power outages.

The Coast Guard closed all the ports in the entire Southeastern New England region, including Narragansett Bay, Mount Hope Bay, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound, Friday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, people were still boarding ferries to and from the islands, and some who had Labor Day vacation plans said they were not about to abandon them.

"This could be stupid or it could actually be OK," said Brendan Mulvey as he got ready to board a ferry to Nantucket.

On Martha's Vineyard, some Edgartown business owners were safeguarding their shops.

"I don't think we're going to get a full hit, but I'm not going to take any chances," said one as he measured his store front window for plywood.