Overwash all along NC12 is a dire situation

Editor’s note: NWS Newport/Morehead on March 27 issued another flood watch effective from 8 p.m. Wednesday night through Thursday (March 28) evening for all of eastern North Carolina, including East Carteret, Hatteras Island, mainland Dare, mainland Hyde, northern Outer Banks, Ocracoke Island and west Carteret. Friday is forecast to be clear.

As much as we did not want to write an editorial that discussed bad weather and its impact on island access, we can’t avoid this topic.

Since December, Ocracoke and the Outer Banks have been subject to what we think has been an unusually high number of significant coastal storms bringing heavy rains and high winds. Many have occurred from Friday through Sunday, causing lamentations over lost weekends. 

As much as the island’s residents can manage these storms, often just below tropical storm level, the island can not. After heavy rains, village yards have had puddles that stand for days when the sandy soil is saturated.

Most importantly, it is the narrow north end of the island that has seen severe overwash. Continual bad weather has forced several road closures the past few months, shutting off access to Hatteras Island and points north.

On March 22, Hatteras Inlet ferry service was shut down due to yet another coastal front. As of today (March 28), it is still closed with yet another storm with rain and winds expected to pummel the Outer Banks.  

Much of the high dune along NC12 at the beleaguered north end has been blown away, exposing 7,000 feet of deteriorating sandbags and dangerous standing water.

Sandbag replacement has begun at this area, but, as Joe Smith, Hyde County Sheriff captain here, said in an interview on March 26, “All the work they did adding sand got washed away again today.”

He worried that the ocean water is getting under the road itself, which will lead to its collapsing.

Ocracoke’s county commissioner Randal Mathews said the following on Wednesday on Facebook: “DOT had the road cleared yesterday evening before high tide and it over-washed at high tide last night…again. Our local DOT employees have been working tirelessly to make sure the road is not undermined but they are battling Mother Nature. Every high tide cycle makes it impossible to work on the sandbags. We looked at the situation first hand this morning and it’s frustrating for everyone including the Ferry Division.”

This is an ongoing dire situation that needs to be remedied now for the survival of the island.”

We asked Erik Heden, the NC weather-warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Morehead City, if we are experiencing an unusually high number of storms. Without checking historical records, his initial reaction was that it was probably no more than normal, but he acknowledged the high amount of rain in the past few months. He reiterated that storms are year-round–not just hurricanes, and people should be aware of their impacts and prepare for them.

Islanders getting ready for the high visitors’ season feel we are in dire straits with the overwash blocking access to the Hatteras ferry.

Clearing the road, replacing damaged sandbags and rebuilding the dunes is expensive and must wait until Mother Nature takes a break but closing this vital route for sustained periods has concerning ramifications.

“It’s been a challenge getting groceries and food here this winter,” said Tommy Hutcherson, proprietor of the Variety Store. “It’s just blown all winter, and April can be windy, too.”

Postal Clerk Melissa Sharber, who regularly checks the NC12 webcams, said the food truck waited at the Hatteras dock but turned around, as did the mail truck. However, a food delivery truck did make it to the Variety Store Wednesday afternoon.

As of March 26, the island had not received mail for three delivery days until Wednesday (March 27) when it arrived via Swan Quarter, according to Postmaster Celeste Brooks. “With the help of Kim O’Neal here and Greg Gurganus (both with the Ferry Division) over there, we got the truck on,” Brooks said. FedEx ground also got here Wednesday night, she said, and is making deliveries today.

But with today’s (March 28) low bringing more wind and rain and the Hatteras access, the route for U.S. Postal Service deliveries shut down, there will be no mail delivery.

The access situation hampered Smith and another deputy who were scheduled to go off island for training but found they would not be able to get back due to no available spots on the Swan Quarter ferry. Smith noted that if someone has a medical emergency, they may or may not get off the island via ambulance or helicopter.

It’s not just Ocracoke. Several vulnerable hot spots on Hatteras Island — the Sandy Bay area, the northern Buxton beach, Rodanthe and Pea Island — are also experiencing increased overwash.

One Ocracoke island business owner, who declined to be identified, said the weather situation will ruin the entire Easter week. 

This is the start of the season, and lack of access via the Hatteras ferry has a trickle-down effect — impacting everyone financially and mentally.

“We’ve all experienced many situations over the years that have impacted us financially – storms, power outages — and we’ve overcome them,” the business owner said. “But this is an ongoing dire situation that needs to be remedied now for the survival of the island.”

Now there is a shortage of suitable sand to “nourish” the Buxton beach areas and rebuild the dunes on Ocracoke enough to hold back the ocean.

One solution could be a series of temporary bridges over the hot spots — like the “Lego” bridge erected over the area of the Etheridge Bridge after Hurricane Irene cut a new inlet that has now filled in.

Can’t NCDOT do this right now on Ocracoke for the time being?

Another, probably the only solution, would be one long bridge from Pea Island to Ocracoke, Florida Keys-style. Yes, it would be expensive and would be years, maybe decades, in the making.

Are these islands worth saving? The many who live and vacation here say yes.

For the short term, NCDOT needs to secure more and consistent funding for increased staff and resources to quickly address these overwash events. That is a lot cheaper than a major bridge project that won’t help our current circumstances.

People need to contact their NC General Assembly and congressional representatives. See emails below.