Where did the houses go?

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Yesterday afternoon we walked north on the beach to Rodanthe. We wanted to see the damage from Sandy and the winter storms. The temperature was in the lower sixties and the wind almost calm. The walking and the sun kept us quite warm. There is a lot of variation to the shoreline. The beach is very narrow in some spots and there are small bays. I think that the storms caused this, but I haven't been here before, so I am not sure.

Some areas have dunes left, such as our campground, but they are steep due to the storm erosion on the ocean side. Other places have no dunes. As we walked along the inhabited area of Rodanthe, it was a mystery to figure out where the beach and the first row of houses used to be. Some are obviously completely gone, judging by the pilings left behind. Others are literally at the surf's edge, with dangling balconies, leaning pilings, and broken off water, sewer, and electric lines on the bottom. There are old septic tanks lying open and swimming pools either partially or completely gone. There is some ongoing clean-up. I don't know how much has already been done this early in the season. There is work being done on the Rodanthe pier which seems to be missing quite a bit of its parts. New pilings are being driven. The tourists start arriving next month.

The biggest mystery is the power/telephone pole that is just a short distance from the surf. It stands upright sprouting out of the flat beach. It is obvious that the beach has shifted dramatically westward towards Pamlico Sound. Some houses are now waterfront property, that used to sit back a block.

Most of the houses here are very large. There seem to be a lot of rentals as well. It's a quieter alternative to the hustle and bustle of Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, but these towns are sitting on the narrowest part of the Outer Banks. Ferries served this area for many years until the bridges were built. The ferries served here again after Sandy. There is a long term plan to build an even longer bridge than now exists, but I can't see the state or federal government financing it given today's climate.

The damage from Sandy and the severe winter storms draws attention to the ever shifting nature of barrier islands in the new supercharged climate of global warming. There will be more Super Storm Sandys, hurricanes, and increasingly violent winter storms. The nature of barrier islands is to keep shifting inland, not to stay put. Can we continue to finance beach replenishment and coastal insurance for the people who choose to build here? This is a question to ponder not just here in the Outer Banks, but everywhere we find coastal communities that are in danger due to the climatic changes we are facing.

Below are some photos from our beach stroll. I tried to document the obvious damage. This is just a small section of the entire coastline. I haven't been inland from the beach. Greg rode his bike there and tells me that the sand is still piled on the residential streets like snow drifts that need to be plowed!