Outer Banks Homes Continue to Fall into the Ocean

Another North Carolina home in an Outer Banks community has fallen into the Atlantic Ocean making it the fourth home to wash away in Rodanthe in the last year. And with increasing sea levels and stronger hurricanes and nor’easters running roughshod over our beaches, eleven more Rodanthe residences are in danger of falling in the upcoming months. No big deal you might say. After all, only a fool would build on a pile of sand. However, survey after survey says that beach vacations are the most popular type of holiday for U.S. adults with 52 percent of respondents stating it was their favorite type of vacation.

So what, if anything, can or should be done to preserve our beaches? This is Denis Raczkowski, Outer Banks oceanfront home owner, real estate agent and Emerald Isle Vacation Home Specialist. In this article, I take a deep dive into what oceanfront communities along the Outer Banks can do to maintain healthy beaches for homeowners and vacationers alike. Unfortunately, for residents and vacationers in Rodanthe, not much can be done at this time. For starters, this village is located in Dare County on Hatteras Island which has some of the highest erosion rates along the entire North Carolina coast. Second, a nourishment project of the magnitude required to repair Rodanthe beaches could cost up to $30 million dollars and would have to be repeated at least every 5 years to be effective. Third, there is NO money to fund beach nourishment for the village. The Dare County beach fund has been wiped out to fund other beach nourishment projects on erosion-prone Hatteras Island. Fourth there is NO hope for finding funds. The population of Rodanthe is under 200 and the village’s tax base is way too small to use property taxes to fund a nourishment project.

So, what is a homeowner in Rodanthe and other nearby Hatteras Island communities like Avon and Salvo to do? Well, the only remaining viable options are abandonment or retreat. The most famous abandonment of an Outer Banks community occurred when the inhabitants of Diamond City on Shacleford Banks endured three massive hurricanes in the 1890s. Residents floated their homes from Shackleford Banks across Back Sound to neighborhoods in nearby Morehead City on the mainland or to adjacent Bogue Banks where they established the village of Salter Path. Of course, these homes had no electricity, no running water and certainly did not contain 12-20 bedrooms, let alone 12-20 bathrooms!

Memo to self: Spending investment or vacation dollars on Hatteras Island may not be wise.

Are disappearing beaches unique to Hatteras Island or is this a problem facing residents and vacationers in other oceanfront communities along the North Carolina Outer Banks? For some, the answer is yes. Among the most threatened beaches are those located on Bald Head Island, Figure Eight Island, the Brunswick Islands and Ocracoke. While beach nourishment is the favored solution on these islands, the real problem of disappearing beaches will only be remedied when we acknowledge the very visible and very real warnings of climate change. But, as is the case in Rodanthe, beach nourishment on Bald Head, Figure Eight, Ocracoke and the Brunswick islands is expensive and needs to be done regularly to be truly effective. And, even when funds can be found, usually by passing obscenely high tax assessments, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, there is the issue of where to find a compatible sand source. As my grandmother used to say, there is sand and then, there is sand. Not all sand is beach-quality sand. Ask the residents of Pine Knoll Shores. Finding beach-quality sand is a problem staring the residents of Wrightsville Beach off the coast of Wilmington in the face at this very minute.

So, what are residents of Bald Head, Figure Eight, Ocracoke and the Brunswick Islands to do? Well, one solution is to construct immense sand-filled tubes, each 300 feet long and 9 feet high, that jut into the sea at right angles to South Beach on Bald Head Island. Technically, these hardened structures are illegal in NC but when money talks variances are issued.

Memo to Self: Spending investment or vacation dollars on Bald Head, Figure Eight, Ocracoke or the Brunswick Islands may not be wise.

So what is a beach lover to do? Well, if you are like me and you want to live at the beach, purchase property on Bogue Banks and the waterfront communities in Carteret County. Carteret County is a leader in beach nourishment as is the Town of Emerald Isle on Bogue Banks. The Carteret County Occupancy or Bed Tax helps pay for beach nourishment. Half of the bed tax goes directly to the Carteret Shoreline Protection Office and the other half goes to the Tourism Development Agency which drives more vacationers to the area. The Town of Emerald Isle has a 4% overlay tax for beachfront properties that goes to nourishment funds. Plus, a portion of the overall tax base for the entirety of the Town with over 7,000 housing units is dedicated to the Town’s beach nourishment fund. Compare this to the 99 households in Rodanthe. Bottom line, the Town of Emerald Isle, alone, invests some $700,000 of local taxes toward beach nourishment every year and the Town currently has right at $5 million dollars for beach activities. Oh, and Chris Freeman of Geodynamics, Carteret county’s beach surveying firm has identified numerous offshore spots with beach quality sand that could be dredged up not too far off Bogue Banks. Add in the fact that Emerald Isle has had only two beach nourishments in its history and is it any wonder why, when my wife and I wanted to live at the beach, we invested in Emerald Isle where we own two oceanfront homes and operate two local businesses.

Memo to Self: Want to experience a healthy beach along the North Carolina Outer Banks? Come to Bogue Banks and Carteret County. To live and vacation. Fill out the form in the comment section below if you are thinking about purchasing property along the NC Outer Banks and like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. You’ll be glad that you did!

For more information on living the dream on Crystal Coast, please go to www.EmeraldIsleHomesforSaleNC.com and sign up for my blog. Explore the video tab for my weekly uploads to my YouTube channel, Emerald Isle Vacation Home Specialist. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and receive free donuts at my Flip Flops Donut shop. Ready to purchase property in Emerald Isle or on Bogue Banks? Call me at 919-308-2292. Text your email address to 919-308-2292 and subscribe to my newsletter. My book, "Live Where You Vacation" is available on Amazon.com or at Kindle. I post weekly blogs and videos, on real estate, on personal improvement and life here along the Crystal Coast. Thanks for reading. See you next week.