The nor’easter that swept up the East Coast last weekend continues to cause headaches along areas of the Outer Banks, where road crews continue to work to reopen portions of N.C. 12.
storms
‘Messy situation’: Buxton beach closed after 8th house falls
The first home fell two weeks ago, but the spate of collapses this week has turned this Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach and the crashing surf into a hazardous, dynamic debris field.
Updated: 7th Buxton house collapses, officials advise caution
New: Another unoccupied house in Buxton collapsed Wednesday evening, bringing the total to seven this week, and the National Park Services warns visitors of potentially hazardous debris may spread for miles.
Distant storms churn up surf along NC coast
Storm swell associated with Hurricane Imelda and Hurricane Humberto breaks Tuesday along the Bogue Banks shore at Oceanana Fishing Pier in Atlantic Beach. The storm, while moving away from the U.S. Tuesday, still packed a potent punch, forecasters said, and could bring possible minor flooding in areas of onshore winds along the coast in the Southeast. At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the storm was moving to the northeast, toward near Bermuda, but swells and high surf from Imelda and Hurricane Humberto were expected to produce dangerous marine conditions and rip currents along much of the East Coast for several days. Farther north, the N.C. Department of Transportation on Tuesday closed N.C. 12 on the north end of Ocracoke Island between the National Park Service Pony Pens and the ferry terminal due to deteriorating travel conditions and five oceanfront houses collapsed on Hatteras Island. Photo: Dylan Ray
Docks event celebrates Hatteras Islanders’ spirit, watermen
The annual event set for Sept. 19-20 celebrates the heroes of Hurricane Isabel in 2003, the commercial fishing and charter operators who restarted the economy after the storm.
Flooding keeps NC 12 closed to traffic as Erin heads out to sea
State transportation crews were clearing N.C. Highway 12 and rebuilding dunes in the wake of Hurricane Erin’s pass offshore, as flooding conditions continued and the road remained closed Friday morning.
Angry Erin heads out to sea
People on Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head watch as waves generated by Hurricane Erin crash into the concrete structure that’s part of the North Carolina Aquariums system. The storm’s center was about 260 miles east of Cape Hatteras at midday Thursday and moving out to sea, but hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 105 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 320 miles from the sprawling but weakening storm’s eye. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will likely continue as storm surge and flood risks subside. The pier’s website provides information on current conditions and live webcam views.
No easy fix for Boiling Spring Lakes’ ongoing dam troubles
Officials in the small Brunswick County city thought the structure damaged by Hurricane Florence had been repaired, but a June storm proved otherwise and residents’ anger and frustration are boiling.
Coastal counties seek regional hazard mitigation plan input
The federally mandated Southeastern N.C. Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which identifies natural hazard risks and ways to mitigate and respond to those risks, is under review as part of a five-year update.
Proponents of Leland flood zone rules say it’s a moral issue
Advocates of the Brunswick County town’s proposal to strengthen and expand flood zone building rules say officials must ensure they are not putting property owners, emergency personnel in danger.
National Weather Service staff to answer hurricane questions
The public is invited to attend one of three community forums, including one Monday in Havelock, to learn more about preparedness and effects and speak with a National Weather Service meteorologist.
UNC study: Repeat flooding more widespread than thought
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill researchers used anonymous, address-level National Flood Insurance Program records and observational damage to create maps of 78 floods that three-quarters of the state experienced over 25 years to determine which buildings experienced flooding and how often.
Flooding from storm forces closure of Manteo Library
Dare County officials announced Friday that the public library in Manteo had to close because of extensive flooding on Burnside Drive and surrounding side streets.
Water finds your weakness: Louisiana’s lessons for Down East
Former Coastal Review editor Frank Tursi recently joined Core Sound Museum Director Karen Amspacher and others on a trip to start a conversation with those who live where levees gave way and homes flooded during Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago.
Department reaches milestone in reopening Southport bridge
The bridge over Prices Creek on East Moore Street in Southport opened to drivers Thursday, marking the last of 44 damaged sites in the southern coastal region to reopen after last September’s unnamed storm.
As Brunswick building booms, existing residents see effects
In the past decade, fast-growing Brunswick County has approved projects with nearly 50,000 new homes, most still being built, amid calls for a development pause and storms that have brought unprecedented flooding.