Island Free Press photographer Don Bowers has been photographing the wrath of storms on Hatteras Island for a long time now.
And he has a particularly large collection of photos from the last three years? worth of significant northeasters at Mirlo Beach in Rodanthe and the S-curves.
In fact, he?s been photographing the storms since before there was an Island Free Press, which came online in September, 2007. Before then, he worked for me when I was editor of The Island Breeze.
He flies with Dwight Burrus of Burrus Flightseeing Tours and has managed to put together a remarkable portfolio of how the storms have affected this particularly troublesome area in north Rodanthe. His photos document how each succeeding storm has been more serious and more damaging to structures and to Highway 12.
The star of the slide show is, of course, Serendipity, the northernmost house in Mirlo Beach that became famous in the feature film, ?Nights in Rodanthe.?
Dare County has declared the property a ?nuisance? and demanded that the owners move it or remove it.
An appeal of that county action will probably be heard at a meeting of the Dare County Board of Commissioners in January, perhaps Jan. 4.
The most recent storm, dubbed Nor?Ida by the Weather Channel, caused what some say is the worst damage they have seen to Highway 12 in the area. It damaged some 800 feet of the roadway and closed down travel to the island for several days.
Today, a new roadbed was scheduled to be completed in an area of about a third of a mile along the S-curves. The new road is 23 feet to the west of the one damaged by Nor?Ida.
That?s not much, but every little bit counts in this area.
As you can see from Don Bowers? slide show, each successive storm has beat up the area a little more.
He has gone back and put together the slide show by searching his files and comparing similar views in the Thanksgiving storm of 2006, a May northeaster in 2007, last year?s October northeaster, and last month?s storm that beat up the area for about five days.
The Thanksgiving storm of 2006 is one we all remember since it closed down or limited travel for several days over the holiday and knocked out power long enough that we were all worried about getting Thanksgiving dinner cooked.
The storm in May, 2007, blew in just as crews were ready to film scenes at the northernmost house in Mirlo Beach, Serendipity, which was made over by Hollywood into the Inn at Rodanthe for the feature film, ?Nights in Rodanthe,? starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane.
Since then, Serendipity has become arguably the most famous house on Hatteras Island, and perhaps the second most photographed structure ? after the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
Ironically, a hurricane plays a major role in the film, bringing the on-screen lovers together.
And, just as filming was about to get underway, a coastal storm started sending heavy seas and large waves crashing into Serendipity. It is said that one member of the production crew, unfamiliar with northeasters, thought that a plumbing problem was to blame for the water surging under the house, down the driveway, and into Highway 12.
The next storm that Bowers documented was a northeaster in October, 2008.
It was a rather unremarkable storm, as northeasters go, but it managed to send enough tidal surge into north Rodanthe to send one house into the ocean, damage others, and close Highway 12 off and on during high tide for several days.
And then we had Nor?Ida.
?We?ve lost significant pavement,? said Jerry Jennings, Division 1 engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said about the roadway in the S-curves area as the high waves were still pounding Hatteras last month.
Jennings said about 700 to 800 feet of the highway was washed away or undermined.
?It?s the worst damage I?ve ever seen in this area,? he said.
Now the highway is moved to the west and repaired, the sandbags that were damaged in the storm are being replaced, and the beach in front of the S-curves is being nourished with sand being trucked in from behind the groin at the northern end of Pea Island.
All of this will help to protect the highway ? for how long no one knows.
But it does nothing to solve the problem of the houses in northern Mirlo Beach, which sit in the ocean in storms ? and even some high tides.
For the most part, they are on the flat beach, no longer protected by dunes. In the most minor northeasters, ocean tide flows under the houses, down the driveways, and into Highway 12, often closing access to Hatteras Island?s only roadway.
Now Dare County has taken action on the problems with the area ? by declaring Serendipity a public nuisance and threat to public safety.
The owners, Michael and Susan Creasy of Champion, Pa., have hired an attorney to appeal the county?s action.
In a response to their attorney, Pat Hudespeth, Dare County manager and attorney Bobby Outten wrote this week:
?This will follow our discussion earlier today. I received your letter and will set up a hearing before the Board of Commissioners as provided in our ordinances. It will probably be scheduled for their next Board meeting on January 4. I will give you formal notice once it is finalized.
I understand your clients? concerns about their cottage. However, under our view of the ordinance, we cannot allow such structures to remain, especially where there is little chance that it can be made habitable on that site. Among other things, we believe it is a danger to those on the beach as well as to other cottages in the area. The risk to others increases with each storm. With that said, we are not unsympathetic to the position that your clients find themselves. We are willing to work with your clients to give them additional time if they have a specific plan to remove the structure from the beach. I spoke to their realtor several weeks ago and related this information to her. I have not heard back from anyone with a plan of any type. Your letter is the first response that I have received and it does not suggest a solution to this problem.
At this point we intend to move forward in our effort to remove this structure from the beach. We intend to use our ordinances and the authority given the building inspector by statute to accomplish this goal. As such, you may receive notice of multiple hearings as we will be proceeding under two different processes. This is not the manner in which we would like to proceed. We would prefer that your clients remove the structure voluntarily. However, we have no other choices unless, or until, your clients provide some alternative that will result in the removal of the structure from the beach in a reasonable amount of time and well in advance of next tourist season.?
Bill Fetzer of Herndon, Va., wrote to Island Free Press last month about his Mirlo Beach Home, East Wind Station, which was badly damaged in the most recent northeaster:
?It looks like many years of dithering by the various agencies and stakeholders that have a say in what happens at the S-curves and the Rodanthe beachfront have finally taken their toll. It may be too late for the six to seven northernmost Mirlo Beach houses to recover, and certainly Serendipity will be gone without some major government intervention. I’ve replaced the dune (and planted beach grass and sea oats) in front of East Wind Station 13 times since 2003, but there’s not much hope for another dune push now. We’ll have to see if a local, state or federal leader emerges who can make a difference.?
There are no easy solutions for the problems with the Mirlo Beach houses.
The property owners have rights, but so does the public.
The property owners have tried to be ?good neighbors? and replace dunes and do what they must to keep their properties from contributing to the Highway 12 problems.
It will take intervention to solve the problems. Dare County has chosen to start by declaring Serendipity a public nuisance.
It?s a place to start finding a solution, but it?s not ? in itself — the solution to the problem.
That will involve federal agencies, state agencies, and our local government.
The process likely will take time.
So for all the Island Free Press readers who have sent letters to us about Serendipity:
Yes, it is still there and will be while the issues are worked out ? beginning next month at a meeting of the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
CLICK HERE TO SEE SLIDE SHOW OF STORM DAMAGE IN NORTH RODANTHE OVER THREE YEARS
i recommend the owners of Serendipity work with the government. once the gov?t is involved you will probably have a good ten years until you really have to do something.
i am also glad the board of commissioners is worried about the publics safety with serendipity. i walk by it often and wonder to myself,?what am i gonna do if this thing starts to go down!? Funny thing is, when i am about to go over the Bonner bridge with my family i start thinking,?what am i gonna do if this thing starts to go down!?
Excellent set of photographs and story. The Serendipity saga goes on and on, but at least they moved the road in the right direction.
Again the pictures just further confirm that Mother Nature is only trying to reopen her inlet (Loggerhead) that was in the S-Curve area many years ago. She is not likely to be stopped and any attempt to do so will at best only delay the inevitable.
It is my understanding that the National Park Service agreed to maintain the dunes on the Seashore to protect the road area which they allowed the State of NC to build down the island. Pea Island was/is part of the National Seashore. The beach in front of the houses belonged to the NPS. The sandbags may have increased the flooding of Highway 12 below Pea Island because the dunes were not maintained. This is yet another incident where the NPS has harmed our communities. The Park Service should be responsible for maintaining the dunes and repairing the road.
With all great reward comes risk. Those that seek profit or leisure via oceanfront property understood when they purchased that the sea COULD reclaim their structure. I feel empathy for the homeowners as I myself am a homeowner; but, SH*T happens and I do believe that homeowners need to accept responsibility for their structure.
That being said, I do not agree that the coercive gang of thugs also known as DARE COUNTY has the right to bully these homeowners with arbitrary dates. They believe the homeowners are obligated to jump through whatever hoops set by them OR ELSE! “Look at us, we?re the government, we?re getting things done by using the threat of force!!
I say, allow the free market time to come up with solutions so that homeowners are able to redeem a percentage of the homes value. Perhaps via salvage or relocation, government dictates are tyrannical and never an appropiate sollution to any social problem.
What?s the slogan on the sign. Dare to dream the impossible dream?
When Serendipity was built in 1988 many of us said at the time it was a dumb idea. Errosion in that area has been a problem for decades. In fact the road was moved West in the area in 1988 because of overwash problems. Then as the beach erroded houses continued to go up South of Serendipity.
When Serendipity was purchased by the current owners in 2004 the situation was only a little different from the 2006 photo in the slide show. In 2004 surf many times reached the ocean side pilings.
Does anyone wonder why the Native Americans didn?t live on the beach? Or the locals for that matter. Why were the villages established away from the beach? It?s something people need to think about before they decide to build on the beach.
Villages were located on the sound also because it was easier to land supplies in the calmer water. They did have fishing shacks on the beach but knew they had to move them because of the surf.
I strongly disagree with those that think Dare County is being a bully or that they should purchase that home for fair market value.
Mirlo Beach causes way more problems then any of those homes are worth. Dare Co has worked with those people for 2 years and the water keeps winning?How much longer should the county give them?? The county has awarded them new permits every time it has met the requiements, but before they get everything fixed?it gets screwed again. Hwy 12 was closed over a dozen times from fall of 08 til Febuary of 09, becaus eof those homes..Time to go..
Rea estate and the lottery goes hand in hand..they are both serious risks..If anyone thinks the Federal, state or local govt should have to purchase shotty investments, then I want every dime of money back that I bought in unwinning lottery tickets..You played, you lost?Tough Chit..There is no FAIR market value on a house that sits in the water..
Mirlo Beach is costing the residents and visitors of Hatteras Island more than it ever has or will make at this point..
If the off island property owners feel this is unfair and are afraid that it might happen to them someday, then maybe you should have thought about that, when you bought Ocean Front on a BARRIER ISLAND that sits out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean..Duhh
I really feel for the home owners but as a few above have stated i have to agree that the ? Buyer beware? should apply here. I belive that Dare co and NPS must move the road as it approaches Mirlo beach as far west as the can and then dog leg it back at the top of the beach. Once that is done rebuld the dunes irreguardless of the impact on the current homes on the oceanside, they can not be saved face it we can cheat the ocean but we can not beat the ocean.
I was down there in May 2007, staying in Buxton, when that particular storm hit. We stay at The Outer Banks Motel, in one of the beach cottages and have witnessed the power of these storm surges. The island?s beach?s continue to change with every storm, that?s Mother Nature. 30 years ago there was a lot more beach than there is now. Imagine in another 30 years what the island will look like. That?s why I have and always will visit Hatteras and the Outer Banks, because of it?s pure nature and beauty. Unfortunately homes will be lost and beach?s will erode, but with the help of Mother Nature and we as humans, the Banks will continue to be one of the most beautiful places on earth in my opinion and I?m sure a lot of you locals and vistor?s of the island?s agree.
Here is some info on areas that get overwash and sometimes cut that might shed light on why some of us are not surprised by frequent overwash and cuts in certain areas.
At Mirlo Beach and the S-Curve area years ago there was an inlet. It was called Loggerhead. Records are not exact but indicate it opened sometime prior to 1851 and closed in the late 1870s. (As an aside, I believe another factor affecting erosion in that area is the very shallow Wimble Shoals off of the Waves/Salvo area. It tends to push the heavy surf North/South of the shoal, the North part going toward the S-Curve area.)
Another similar area is at the North end of Buxton. An inlet existed there from prior to 1585 to about 1657. It was called Cape Inlet by some and Chacandepeco by Indians. This area was breached in 1962 by the Ash Wed. storm and again in 1999 by Dennis.
The area North of Hatteras Village was opened in 1933 by an unnamed storm and again in 2003 by Isabel.
And the narrow area at the North end of Ocracoke Island just South of the ferry landing had what was referred to as Old Hatteras Inlet. It was there from before 1585 to about 1755. And in the same area there was Wells Creek in the mid 1800s.
There have also been a couple of openings of “New” Inlet on Pea Island. 1730 to 1846 and 1933 to 1945. Earlier inlets in the area were also called Chick & Chickinacommock.
Finally Roanoke Inlet existed from before 1585 to around 1811 in the vicinity of Whalebone/South Nags Head. And further South along Bodie Island was Port Lane in the 15 – 1600s as well as Gunt (sometimes Gun) in the 1700s. These were near where the old Bodie Island CG station was recently moved from.
Not exactly coincidence that all these areas get frequent poundings and suffer erosion. They have for 400+ years.
?The area North of Hatteras Village was opened in 1933 by an unnamed storm and again in 2003 by Isabel. ?
If I am not mistaken I belive the pictures that Migette posted up right after the storm of the new inlet that cut Hatteras after Isabele actually showed the pilings that were used in 1933 to raise the road up above the water after that storm.
I hate to admit it but right after that storm we spent 6 days helping bring stuff over to Hatteras after the storm and some of the best fishing I have ever seen in the Outerbanks was right there at that inlet.
Sadly that storm also forced alot of the mom and pop operations out for good changing the character of the Island.
Alexy
You are correct about the pilings.
As I recall it was a wood bridge similar to the one you see falling down in the New Inlet area of Pea Island.
What I am not hearing is what would be done once they remove the house? The sea will continue to do the same again and again. So when they remove this house and IF they decide to build up the area to protect highway 12 and the next storm comes through and does the same damage, who will they evict next? That is the funny thing about living in an area that is under constant change. For some reason nature does not care if your a homeowner or a million dollar piping plover. All is the same and is a major reason I love this island.
looking at the slide show, i think a few of those house could have a longer life if they were just moved backward on their lots, closer to the highway. i believe that i have read that this was the tactic used many years ago up in the kitty hawk area. of course, the easy way would be to just tear them down and clean up the mess and move onward, but, remembering the errors that put those houses there to start with.
You are correct about moving the houses back. I belive dare Co would have to give a variance to the set backs allowed and I know the septic fields would all have to be redone and I think that would be the kicker.
But moving them back would not solve the problem of overwash pouring down the driveways except for maybe the ones on the feeder road toward the South end of Mirlo.
Moving them back(if there is room), would only postpone the inevitable for maybe a couple of years, if that.
Our family loves Hatteras Island. We?ve been visiting in the fall for the past 10+years and plan on continuing as long as we are able. We?ve noticed the many changes especially at Mirlo Beach area and wonder is there any discussion on raising the roadway to create a bridge onto Hatteras Island? Wouldn?t it then be the owner?s responsibilities to care for their homes without them impacting the entering or exiting from the Island? Is this too simplified? Wondering?
geolin6,
Wether they were to raise the road or not is not the issue. If they allow that area to open up it may not be a big deal or it could easily shift south rapidly and take most of Rodanthe and Waves with it. As example the Bodie Lighhouse was originally built on the Northern most end of Oregon Inlet.
The removal of the homes would not solve the problems, but would slow down some of the minor storms from causing so much disruption. As Mr. Spock would say? The needs of the many, out weigh the needs of the few.?
At this point the loss of a dozen homes or so is a small price to pay to keep that water from flooding the roads every time the ocean kicks up and runs down the driveways. Those dozen homes or so have the ability to really jam up a lot of people.
As Mr. Spock would say ” The needs of the many, out weigh the needs of the few.”
This Utilitarian approach and mindset is common place these days and most directly associated to philosopher Jeremy Bentham. I believe people have become accustomed to Utilitarian thought because of the democratic system of 51% of voting people telling the rest how they should live their lives, irregardless to morality or human rights.
Utilitarianism as an approach to ethics has historically lead to what I consider evil policy. Examples that come to mind are genocide, torture, communism, taxation, eminent domain abuse, etc.
On a more local level what if the MAJORITY of Hatteras Island residents decided we should commandeer all land owned by out of town residents and make it available for teachers, fireman, nurses/doctors and EMT?s? It would be arguably just as the “needs of the many” trump the others right to their property.
Mob rule is not always moral. The right to life and property should exist outside the democratic veil of tyranny.
That being said, I believe that you are responsible for your property and any damages that may be caused upon others because of negligence. Take them to court or arbitration and prove damages.
You call it utilitarian..I call it good sense.
?The right to life and property should exist outside the democratic veil of tyranny.?
While I have about 10 points to put this one home. I will stick with the little discussed one..As a person that was on location for a few hours everyday during this storm I can attest to what I saw.
Diabetic patients having to be taken by 4wd drive to the OBX hospital so they could get treatment and this was long prior to any 4wd roadway being open to the public. The planes and helos could not fly , because of the ceiling viz and a heart attack victim had to be flown off via the coast guard, who was the only ones allowed to fly, but were still being deployed from E City, which makes for a long wait. Even if the ferry was capable of running in the beginning ( they had done a test run)..they would?ve have not been able to run, because the gale force NE winds would haved forced out all the water and the ferrys wouldn?t have enough waterto run in. Icould go on, but I?ll stop there.
So, if the tyranny of a dozen property owners, who want to fight the sytem tooth and nail, so that they can protect a $500,000 investment interferes with a person?s priceless life, then it is the democratic people?s duty to see that life comes before property..by any means neccesary.
Anyone waiting for the NPS or federal govt to build them a new beach and dune system, needs to get a grip real soon.
Right on Rob!
You are right about the inevitability of the overwash. If the beachfront homes are removed the area could be used to build up the dunes to where they could provide some protection but the bottom line is a a big storm like a Isabele or another strong nor-easter and we are back where we started. I think the raised road idea has merit but the quick and fast solution is to kick RT12 as far west as possible and build up the biggest buffer they can at this point. Problem is when they reach Serindipity and south they have no where to put a dune.
?Parc Greene? posted the following comment:
Rob don?t stop there because the argument is not complete. The belief ?correlation proves causation?, is a logical fallacy by which two events that occur together are claimed to have a cause-and-effect relationship. These people didn?t have medical emergencies because of these peoples homes. Nor did the homes necessarily cause them longer evacuation times.
It?s analogous to saying ?As beaching driving has increased over the years, Piping Plovers nesting has decreased, therefore beach driving kills Piping Plovers.? WE SHOULD STOP ALL BEACH DRIVING?!?
We both know that?s bull.
That dune was flattened like a pancake so it didn?t matter that the driveways initially contributed to water on the road.
You say that it?s a duty for the people to take property to save a ?priceless life?, I disagree with such a carte blanche approach b/c of the obvious slippery slope it presumes. Where do draw the line in the sand? That assumption of life over property is the basis for National Health Care which I am strongly opposed to. Or how about the starving people in the world? Should the government take as much of our money as they deem fit to save lives without regard to my desire to save my money so that I can create the lives of my children responsibly? It?s a slippery slope quantifying the value of one?s life (Utilitarianism), especially when you are condoning the use of force to extract one?s property (life) for the subjective benefit of one or even the ?masses?.
I put life in parenthesis because property is the physical manifestation of one?s labor and thus a sacrifice of a period of their life. To take their property is to take away a portion of their life.
The plan NCDOT is presently pushing would build a bridge in the area. It would take off a mile or so North of the S-Curve, go out into the sound and back in near Island Convenience (Liberty gas).
If that is the plan they need to get started on it. I bet it won?t happen until AFTER the Bonner Bridge replacement or as a side show during it?s construction.
The big road block to any of the current NCDOT plan will likely be a suit by the environs who want the long bridge in the sound and nothing on Pea Island.
So as soon as NCDOT releases their Record of Decision on their current plan in the near future, you can bet on a suit from the environs.
Next up is the contract announcement for the phase one Bonner Bridge replacement scheduled for Feb 2010 correct?
I?m not sure of the time frame any longer as this has drug out for years but last I recall Feb seems to be the last projected window for the ROD being released.
I just realized that the Mirlo Beach webcam is down being repaired. How can I find out if it will be fixed in time for the Serenpidity move? I am hoping that they will train the camera on the house so we all can see it happen.
According to an email I received from Sandy Sanderson, Dare County Emergency Management: ?Timing could not have been worse. We are working to correct the signal problem.? All we can do is hope for it to be fixed in time or (as always!) some great pictures in the Island Free Press!