In the last blog, I described how relocation was a response Carolina coastal communities made to eroding beaches in the 1800's. In the 21st Century, however, building relocation is no longer a viable option, for several reasons. First, in most coastal communities structures designed to be taken up at the end of the season were replaced by stationary cottages which were knocked down, only to be replaced by larger housing units, e.g., duplexes, condominiums, and McMansions. Second, there is human hubris. A hundred years or so ago, humans were just beginning to think that they could out-engineer nature. We’ve come a long way, baby, as evinced by the North Carolina Legislature recently outlawing climate change.
The next barrier island we encounter in Carteret County is Bogue Banks. This barrier island provides perhaps the best example of reduced risk attributable to natural island characteristics among all the Outer Bank islands. Indeed, more moderate-to-low risk sites are to be found here than any other barrier island to its north and south. The natural characteristics of this island and their intended consequences are discussed in detail in the next series of blogs.
In the meanwhile, the barrier islands and peninsulas south of Bogue Banks usually are not considered part of the Outer Banks. The first of these is Topsail (pronounced TOP sill,) a 26-mile long barrier island separated from the mainland by a series of small sounds and channels that make up a segment of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The northeastern tip of the island is the New River Inlet and the southwestern tip is Topsail Inlet.
Three communities call Topsail Island home; from north to south these are North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach. Many scientists (but not many developers) believe that North Topsail Beach is the most unsafe barrier island community for development on the Atlantic Coast. Most of North Topsail is less than five feet in elevation and large portions of this island community are only 165 to 660 feet wide. For perspective, a football field is 300 feet! Ill-advised development, primarily post-1970, and many storms later, little or no natural dune remains along most of the town, although a single, repeatedly repaired, bulldozed sand ridge does exist. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel completely submerged the island and, in 1996, Hurricane Fran did the same, damaging and destroying hundreds of buildings. Despite a poor prognosis, most of these structures, primarily single-family rental houses and duplexes, but also several medium-rise hotels/condos, located at the north end of the island, were rebuilt. In sum, the vulnerability of this community to storm surges, continued erosion, and sea-level rise impacts is so extreme that even the National Federal Insurance Program will not write coverage for properties in North Topsail Beach. In addition, the population probably can't be evacuated safely on the single flood prone escape road.
The most severe problems at North Topsail Beach are happening adjacent to the New River Inlet. In the last decade, a special variance allowed the town to wage a war against the inlet by building a “temporary” sandbag wall as high as the dunes that once were there, in an effort to keep more than 30 structures from falling into the water. More recently, the town proposed to realign the New River Inlet in another effort to shore up (no pun intended) the beaches at the north end of the island. The cost of this multi- million project was split between the town and homeowners, at a cost of about $50,000 per tax payer. This intervention also has yet to produce the desired results as evinced by the continued presence of the “temporary” sandbag wall.
Can the town of North Topsail win this man-versus-nature battle. Scientists say, “No” but town officials disagree, saying "If it's not stable, and it can't stay, we'll do everything in our power to find a solution, if at all possible." And, so, in 2018, the town of North Topsail Beach is thinking of constructing a 2,000-foot-long terminal groin. This proposed terminal groin would reduce erosion eating away the north end of Topsail Island and cut back the frequency of dredging in the New River Inlet, according to engineers hired to put together an inlet management plan. I wonder if these engineers consulted with the residents of Cape May, New Jersey?
In the next blogs, I will examine how other barrier island communities, south of the Outer Banks, are dealing with the ocean. That being said, to learn more about life in Emerald Isle, NC, along the Southern Outer Banks, go to my website, www.EIHomesforSale.com and request my free Guide to Living Were You Vacation or text your email address to: 919-308-2292. Stay well and stay safe.
Comentarios