Latest news with #CoastalStudiesInstitute
Metro
21 hours ago
- Climate
- Metro
Map shows Hurricane Erin along US East Coast threatening to isolate islands
Hurricane Erin moving along the US East Coast threatens to isolate the vulnerable barrier islands of North Carolina and has prompted evacuations. Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, reached Category 5 designation and knocked out power in Puerto Rico over the weekend, before downgrading to a Category 2 on Tuesday morning. It is forecast to remain hundreds of miles offshore and travel northeasterly along the East Coast, instead of making landfall. But Erin is still forecast to send massive, 20-foot waves toward the Outer Banks, a delicate string of barrier islands between North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. 'We haven't seen waves of that size in a while and the vulnerable spots have only gotten weaker in the past five years,' said Coastal Studies Institute executive director Reide Corbett. Despite no hurricane warning in effect, evacuation orders have been issued for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. The only road, NC 12, is expected to be battered and washed over, which means villages there could be isolated from the US mainland for days or even weeks. The Outer Banks are already constantly eroding. At least two vacated homes in the town of Rodanthe, which is the farthest out into the Atlantic Ocean, could be swallowed by Erin's waves if they strike as large as has been estimated. Since 2020, a dozen Rodanthe homes have been lost to the ocean. The Outer Banks are home to about 3,500 people. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Food influencers narrowly escape death after car crashes into restaurant table mid-review MORE: Walmart shrimp urgently recalled due to 'radioactive contamination' MORE: Man busted for 'hoarding $31,000 worth of stolen meat' in freezer stash
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Hurricane Erin's massive waves threaten to isolate North Carolina's Outer Banks
The 3,500 or so Outer Bankers who live there have handled isolation before. But most of the tens of thousands of vacationers have not. Get Love Letters: The Newsletter A weekly dispatch with all the best relationship content and commentary – plus exclusive content for fans of Love Letters, Dinner With Cupid, weddings, therapy talk, and more. Enter Email Sign Up 'We haven't seen waves of that size in a while, and the vulnerable spots have only gotten weaker in the past five years,' said Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute, a group of several universities that study the Outer Banks. Advertisement In a basic sense, they are dunes that were tall enough to stay above the ocean level when many of the Earth's glaciers melted 20,000 years ago. The barrier islands in some places are as far as 30 miles off mainland North Carolina. To the east is the vast Atlantic Ocean. To the west is the Pamlico Sound. 'Water, water everywhere. That really resonates on the Outer Banks,' Corbett said. Advertisement The most built-up and populated part of the Outer Banks is in the north around Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, which aren't under the evacuation order. South of the Oregon Inlet, scoured out by a 1846 hurricane, is Hatteras Island, where the only connection to the mainland is N.C. 12. South of there is Ocracoke Island, accessible only by boat or plane. The first highways to reach the area were built more than 60 years ago. And the Outer Banks started booming, as it went from quaint fishing villages to what it is now, dotted with 6,000-square-foot (550-square-meter) vacation homes on stilts. On a nice day, what look like snowplows and street sweeper brushes wait on the side of N.C. 12 to scoop and sweep away the constantly blowing sand. When the storms come, water from the ocean or the sound punches through the dunes and washes tons of sand and debris onto the road. In more extreme cases, storms can break up the pavement or even create new inlets that require temporary bridges. The N.C. Department of Transportation spent more than $1 million a year on regular maintenance to keep N.C. 12 open during the 2010s. It also spent about $50 million over the decade on repairs after storms. But the state estimates Dare County, which includes most of the Outer Banks, brings in $2 billion in tourism revenue a year. So the cycle of clean up and repair continues. The repairs take time. Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 both cut inlets into Hatteras Island, and ferries were needed for two months. It can still take days to reopen N.C. 12 after more routine Nor'easters. Advertisement It's not just storms that impact the island. As the planet warms and polar ice melts, rising ocean levels threaten the Outer Banks. In a place where most of the land is only a few feet above sea level, every inch of sand counts. In the town of Rodanthe, which sticks the farthest out into the Atlantic, the churning ocean has swallowed up more than Shelli Miller Gates waited tables on the Outer Banks to earn money as a college student in the late 1970s. She remembers houses with no air conditioning, televisions, or phones. And she adored it. 'I love the water. I love the wildness of it. It's the way I want to live my life,' the respiratory therapist said. It's a lifestyle embraced by many. The area's shorthand 'OBX' shows up in many places as a source of pride, including the first three letters on license plates issued by the state. The isolation contributes to a sense of community. Gates has seen people band together countless times when their connection to the outside world is severed. And there is always the allure of getting to live someplace where others just get to visit. 'There's things everywhere. There's earthquakes and blizzards, and floods. Look at the poor people out in western North Carolina,' Gates said. 'There are so many things that can happen to you. I feel like you have to find the place that feels like home.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erin sparks major waves and evacuations in North Carolina's Outer Banks
Hurricane Erin remained far out at sea on Tuesday, yet it was still producing huge swells, with waves towering 20ft (6 meters) or more and crashing across sand dunes along North Carolina's barrier islands. The storm was tracking northward, running roughly parallel to the east coast, according to the US's National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. Though not projected to strike the mainland, Erin is expected to expand in size and generate hazardous rip currents in the upcoming days. Officials in North Carolina's Outer Banks warned of coastal flooding, prompting evacuation orders. Erin became the Atlantic's first hurricane of 2025, intensifying rapidly to a category 5 on Saturday before weakening. It then regained strength, knocked out power to more than 147,000 utility customers in Puerto Rico, and finally dropped to category 2 status on Tuesday morning. The storm had sustained winds of 110 mph while moving north-west at 7 mph. Its center was located about 665 miles south-west of Bermuda and 720 miles south-south-east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm's rapid growth ranks it among the fastest-intensifying hurricanes ever observed in the Atlantic, highlighting scientists' warnings that the climate crisis – driven by greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans – is fueling more rapid storm strengthening. Category 2 hurricanes carry sustained winds of 96 to 110mph. Erin was just shy of category 3, the threshold for what forecasters call a 'major' storm that is capable of severe destruction, with winds starting at 111mph. Even without a direct hurricane warning, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands were ordered to evacuate. Officials fear that North Carolina state highway 12 (NC 12), the narrow route linking the communities, will be heavily damaged or swept away, leaving residents isolated for days or even weeks. In the Outer Banks, roughly 3,500 locals are accustomed to occasional cutoffs from the mainland – but the tens of thousands of tourists currently visiting are not. 'We haven't seen waves of that size in a while and the vulnerable spots have only gotten weaker in the past five years,' Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute, told the Associated Press. 'Water, water everywhere. That really resonates on the Outer Banks,' Corbett said. The northern areas around Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, home to the region's densest development, are outside the evacuation zone. But to the south, across Oregon Inlet, lies Hatteras Island, which relies solely on NC 12 for access. Beyond that is Ocracoke Island, which can only be reached by plane or ferry. Highways were first built there more than six decades ago. Since then, the remote fishing communities transformed into a booming tourist destination, now dotted with thousands of oversized vacation homes. When storms strike, ocean and sound waters often breach dunes, burying the road under sand and debris. Severe events can tear apart pavement or carve out entirely new inlets, forcing temporary bridges. Throughout the 2010s, the North Carolina department of transportation spent more than $1m annually just to keep NC 12 open, plus roughly $50m over the decade for storm-related repairs. Despite the expense, Dare county generates about $2bn annually from tourism, ensuring that the cycle of rebuilding continues. But repairs are not quick. Hurricanes Isabel in 2003 and Irene in 2011 both created new inlets that required two months of ferry service until bridges were installed. Rising sea levels, driven by climate change-related warming temperatures and melting ice, add to the danger. With much of the Outer Banks only a few feet above sea level, even minor erosion can have major effects, such as in Rodanthe, the community that juts furthest into the Atlantic. Since 2020, more than a dozen homes in Rodanthe have collapsed into the sea. Authorities believe at least two more vacant houses could be lost if Erin's surf is as intense as predicted. The Associated Press contributed reporting
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
a day ago
- Climate
- First Post
Hurricane Erin spurs mass evacuations as erosion threatens North Carolina's Outer Banks homes
Hurricane Erin is forecast to stay offshore but is already battering North Carolina's Outer Banks with waves over 20 feet, prompting evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Officials fear the storm will wash out N.C. 12, the only road connecting the islands to the mainland, leaving communities isolated for days or weeks. There's a popular T-shirt on Hatteras Island along the North Carolina Outer Banks that says: 'One road on. One road off (sometimes)' — poking fun at the constant battle between Mother Nature and a thin ribbon of pavement connecting the narrow barrier island to the rest of the world. Mother Nature is probably going to win this week. Hurricane Erin is forecast to stay hundreds of miles offshore but is still sending waves 20 feet (6 meters) or greater crashing over vulnerable sand dunes on the islands. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Officials have ordered evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands even without a hurricane warning because that tiny ribbon of highway called N.C. 12 will likely be torn up and washed out in several places, isolating villages for days or weeks. The 3,500 or so Outer Bankers who live there have handled isolation before. But most of the tens of thousands of vacationers have not. 'We haven't seen waves of that size in a while and the vulnerable spots have only gotten weaker in the past five years,' said Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute, a group of several universities that study the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks are defined by water In a basic sense, they are sand dunes that were tall enough to stay above the ocean level when many of the Earth's glaciers melted 20,000 years ago. The barrier islands in some places are as far as 30 miles (48 kilometers) off mainland North Carolina. To the east is the vast Atlantic Ocean. To the west is the Pamlico Sound. 'Water, water everywhere. That really resonates on the Outer Banks,' Corbett said. The most built-up and populated part of the Outer Banks are in the north around Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, which aren't under the evacuation order. South of the Oregon Inlet, scoured out by a 1846 hurricane, is Hatteras Island, where the only connection to the mainland is N.C. 12. South of there is Ocracoke Island, accessible only by boat or plane. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The first highways to reach the area were built more than 60 years ago. And the Outer Banks started booming, as it went from quaint fishing villages to what it is now, dotted with 6,000-square-foot (550-square-meter) vacation homes on stilts. Maintaining the highway is arduous On a nice day, what look like snowplows and street sweeper brushes wait on the side of N.C. 12 to scoop and sweep away the constantly blowing sand. When the storms come, water from the ocean or the sound punch through the sand dunes and wash tons of sand and debris on the road. In more extreme cases, storms can break up the pavement or even create new inlets that require temporary bridges. The N.C. Department of Transportation spent more than $1 million a year on regular maintenance to keep N.C. 12 open during the 2010s. It also spent about $50 million over the decade on repairs after storms. But the state estimates Dare County, which includes most of the Outer Banks, brings in $2 billion in tourism revenue a year. So the cycle of clean up and repair continues. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The repairs take time. Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 both cut inlets into Hatteras Island and ferries were needed for two months. It can still take days to reopen N.C. 12 after more routine Nor'easters. The erosion is constant It's not just storms that impact the island. As the planet warms and polar ice melts, rising ocean levels threaten the Outer Banks. In a place where most of the land is only a few feet above sea level, every inch of sand counts. In the town of Rodanthe, which sticks the farthest out into the Atlantic, the churning ocean has swallowed up more than a dozen homes since 2020. Officials think at least two unoccupied houses are likely to be lost if the waves from Erin are as strong as predicted. The Outer Banks are still home Shelli Miller Gates waited tables on the Outer Banks to earn money as a college student in the late 1970s. She remembers houses with no air conditioning, televisions or phones. And she adored it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I love the water. I love the wildness of it. It's the way I want to live my life,' the respiratory therapist said. It's a lifestyle embraced by many. The area's shorthand 'OBX' shows up in many places as a source of pride, including the first three letters on license plates issued by the state. The isolation contributes to a sense of community. Gates has seen people band together countless times when their connection to the outside world is severed. And there is always the allure of getting to live someplace where others just get to visit. 'There's things everywhere. There's earthquakes and blizzards and floods. Look at the poor people out in western North Carolina,' Gates said. 'There are so many things that can happen to you. I feel like you have to find the place that feels like home.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Hurricane Erin's massive waves threaten to isolate North Carolina's Outer Banks
There's a popular T-shirt on Hatteras Island on the North Carolina Outer Banks that says: 'One road on. One road off (sometimes)' — poking fun at the constant battle between Mother Nature and a thin ribbon of pavement connecting the narrow barrier island to the rest of the world. Mother Nature is probably going to win this week. Hurricane Erin is forecast to stay hundreds of miles offshore but is still sending waves 20 feet (6 meters) or greater crashing over vulnerable sand dunes on the islands. Officials have ordered evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands even without a hurricane warning because that tiny ribbon of highway called N.C. 12 will likely be torn up and washed out in several places, isolating villages for days or weeks. The 3,500 or so Outer Bankers who live there have handled isolation before. But most of the tens of thousands of vacationers have not. 'We haven't seen waves of that size in a while and the vulnerable spots have only gotten weaker in the past five years,' said Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute, a group of several universities that study the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks are defined by water In a basic sense, they are sand dunes that were tall enough to stay above the ocean level when many of the Earth's glaciers melted 20,000 years ago. The barrier islands in some places are as far as 30 miles (48 kilometers) off mainland North Carolina. To the east is the vast Atlantic Ocean. To the west is the Pamlico Sound. 'Water, water everywhere. That really resonates on the Outer Banks,' Corbett said. The most built-up and populated part of the Outer Banks are in the north around Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, which aren't under the evacuation order. South of the Oregon Inlet, scoured out by a 1846 hurricane, is Hatteras Island, where the only connection to the mainland is N.C. 12. South of there is Ocracoke Island, accessible only by boat or plane. The first highways to reach the area were built more than 60 years ago. And the Outer Banks started booming, as it went from quaint fishing villages to what it is now, dotted with 6,000-square foot vacation homes on stilts. Maintaining the highway is arduous On a nice day, what look like snowplows and street sweeper brushes wait on the side of N.C. 12 to scoop and sweep away the constantly blowing sand. When the storms come, water from the ocean or the sound punch through the sand dunes and wash tons of sand and debris on the road. In more extreme cases, storms can break up the pavement or even create new inlets that require temporary bridges. The N.C. Department of Transportation spent more than $1 million a year on regular maintenance to keep N.C. 12 open during the 2010s. It also spent about $50 million over the decade on repairs after storms. But the state estimates Dare County, which includes most of the Outer Banks, brings in $2 billion in tourism revenue a year. So the cycle of clean up and repair continues. The repairs take time. Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 both cut inlets into Hatteras Island and ferries were needed for two months. It can still take days to reopen N.C. 12 after more routine Nor'easters. The erosion is constant It's not just storms that impact the island. As the planet warms and polar ice melts, rising ocean levels threaten the Outer Banks. In a place where most of the land is only a few feet above sea level, every inch of sand counts. In Rodanthe, which sticks the farthest out into the Atlantic, the churning ocean has swallowed up more than a dozen homes since 2020. Officials think at least two unoccupied homes are likely to be lost if the waves from Erin are as strong as predicted. The Outer Banks are still home Shelli Miller Gates waited tables on the Outer Banks to earn money as a college student in the late 1970s. She remembers houses with no air conditioning, televisions or phones. And she adored it. 'I love the water. I love the wildness of it. It's the way I want to live my life," the respiratory therapist said. It's a lifestyle embraced by many. The area's shorthand 'OBX' shows up in many places as a source of pride, including the first three letters on license plates issued by the state. The isolation contributes to a sense of community. Gates has seen people band together countless times when their connection to the outside world is severed. And there is always the allure of getting to live someplace where others just get to visit. 'There's things everywhere. There's earthquakes and lizards and floods. Looks at the poor people out in western North Carolina,' Gates said. 'There are so many things that can happen to you. I feel like you have to find the place that feels like home.'
