OBX Flooding

[FLandOBX]

The OBX are getting significant ocean surges from Hurricane Teddy, which is hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. Access to the island has been closed for a few days, but should be restored this afternoon. The attached drone video was taken yesterday (9-21-2020) in Rodanthe and shows the ocean over-wash from Hurricane Teddy.

Between 7:30-9:30 in the video, there are some good shots of the Jug Handle Bridge, now under construction. It will circumvent the section of Hwy 12 that routinely gets flooded in this area (shown at the start of the video).

At about 9:40, there is a good view of the house (with blue shutters) featured in the movie, "Nights in Rodanthe". It was physically relocated from the northernmost end of the village to its current location in 2010. The goal was to save the house from the ravages of the encroaching sea, but the house seems to be at risk again. The oceanside beaches have eroded quickly since the house was moved ten years ago.

After 3 days of 25-30+ knot winds, today will see lighter wind and, hopefully, less ocean surges by tomorrow.

https://www.facebook.com/22047043508987 ... 7095938642

[Matt_TYRCZ]

that's crazy , every time that spot getting pounded,
why not to build rock jetties or storm wall ?

[Hugh2]

that's crazy , every time that spot getting pounded,
why not to build rock jetties or storm wall ?

Nothing can stop the advance of the ocean there, eventually there will be an opening there, as has happened during a couple of hurricanes.

They tried to barricade the ocean at the lighthouse many years ago, but it soon became clear it was futile so they moved it. If you visit the site now you can see the remnants of sea walls etc.

Here's the history of shoreline loss at that location.
In 1870 when it was built, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was 1,500 feet from the ocean. By 1919, the ocean had advanced to within 325-350 feet of the tower and by 1935, it was just 100 feet away.

[Dave_5280]

Just saw the movie for the first time the other night - that’s a neat old house.

[zerogee_ca]

Endless plowing sand off the road, washouts, road reconstruction, rebuilding dunes, beach replenishment...

I thought that this is the reasoning behind the construction of the "Jug Handle" Bridge at that part of the island. When construction of the bridge is completed, they can let nature take its course in that section of the Island and still have a permanent way to travel safely on and off the island. Eventually a new inlet will exist there separating Pea Island and Hatteras Island.

[Hugh2]

Endless plowing sand off the road, washouts, road reconstruction, rebuilding dunes, beach replenishment...

I thought that this is the reasoning behind the construction of the "Jug Handle" Bridge at that part of the island. When construction of the bridge is completed, they can let nature take its course in that section of the Island and still have a permanent way to travel safely on and off the island. Eventually a new inlet will exist there separating Pea Island and Hatteras Island.

Correct, although as shown in this report below, Ocracoke has major problems too. And if my recall is correct, there are other sections along Pea Island that will become problematic at this rate.

https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2020/09 ... in-closed/

[Matt_TYRCZ]

that's crazy , every time that spot getting pounded,
why not to build rock jetties or storm wall ?

Nothing can stop the advance of the ocean there, eventually there will be an opening there, as has happened during a couple of hurricanes.

They tried to barricade the ocean at the lighthouse many years ago, but it soon became clear it was futile so they moved it. If you visit the site now you can see the remnants of sea walls etc.

Here's the history of shoreline loss at that location.
In 1870 when it was built, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was 1,500 feet from the ocean. By 1919, the ocean had advanced to within 325-350 feet of the tower and by 1935, it was just 100 feet away.

I have been going there for 12 years, it crazy how much change . Houses on Mirlo are disappearing one by one. All pools on the ocean side getting filled with sand after every storm .
I'm wondering how inlet at Mirlo would affect everything there . I love Obx , its like my second home, hopefully it can be maintain for a while

[TheJoe]

It's a sand bar just like a lot of barrier islands along the coast of the US. Galveston here in Texas is having a hard time it's beaches washing away since the 70's. They built 5mile long jetties to protect the ship channel. The jetties prevent a lot of the sand from making it to Galveston so it is slowly shrinking. The island spent millions in a project where they pumped in a bunch of sand from the gulf. It is all most all gone from a few storms.

[Hugh2]

Another spot that shows the rapid movement of the islands is the East end of Ocracoke at the ferry terminal. Already they have had to abandon the parking circle there and retreat west along the road and are now hard at work trying to save the ferry terminal itself. But the effort is eventually doomed as the islands inevitably lose sand at the north and east ends and gain sand at the south and west ends. I've been going there since 1985 and the changes are dramatic. On one of my downwinders I got a ride with an old couple who could remember being driven on the beach by their parents before there were roads. They said there were many places they frequented on the islands that are long gone.