Cleanup underway, but more damage from Ernesto’s waves reported on Hatteras
Powerful waves from distant Hurricane Ernesto have continued to damage vulnerable oceanfront structures this weekend along parts of Hatteras Island, while debris from a house that collapsed in Rodanthe has spread along 11 miles of beach so far.
Large swells, dangerous rip currents, and some overwash at high tide started to arrive along the Outer Banks on Friday and has continued through the weekend.
An unoccupied house at the end of East Corbina Drive collapsed around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and the waves quickly broke it apart and spread debris north along Mirlo Beach and into Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
It was the seventh oceanfront home on northern Hatteras Island to fall into the Atlantic since 2020.
Due to the debris field, Cape Hatteras National Seashore has closed the beach from the Mirlo cul-de-sac up to the parking lot at the north landing of the Jug Handle Bridge.
“The Seashore team has coordinated with the owner of the house that collapsed,” according to National Parks for Eastern N.C. spokesperson Mike Barber.
“Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge have permitted cleanup activities which started yesterday around 1 p.m.,” Barber said. “Cleanup activities will continue over the coming days.”
The high surf this weekend has also damaged other homes in North Rodanthe and Mirlo Beach, and beachgoers are advised to avoid those areas.
“The Seashore is communicating with Dare County and conducting a detailed assessment of debris and hazards associated with damaged structures in Rodanthe,” Barber said.
“Coordination will occur between house owners, rental property management companies, and the Seashore once elevated surf conditions subside, and the full extent of damage is known,” Barber said.
In some cases, cleanup costs have been paid for by homeowners. But many times the National Park Service has had to foot the bill following previous collapses and then attempt to recover the money from the owners.
The Park Service has been working with Dare County on the threat caused by rapid erosion in the tri-villages, and a working group was established in 2022 to come up with strategies to address the issues.
And they have communicated with dozens of property owners about shoring up their properties or consider relocation, with some having already moved or in the process of moving their homes.
Last November, contractors demolished a pair of homes on East Beacon Drive in Rodanthe that were threatened with collapse and purchased by the Department of the Interior using money from the national Land and Water Conservation Fund.
In the village of Buxton, ongoing erosion and elevated surf conditions have pushed overwash under many structures from the motels on N.C. 12 and throughout the neighborhood along Old Lighthouse Road.
“Hazardous debris, broken from beachfront houses, may be present on the beach and in the water (off Buxton),” Barber said. “Seashore staff have observed evidence of compromised septic systems; therefore, the Seashore is advising that the public should not go in the water until follow up inspections are made.”
Cape Hatteras National Seashore has a webpage to provide information and updates about those efforts at https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/news/threatened-oceanfront-structures.htm
NCDOT crews have been clearing the sand off the road, and it has remained passable. But drivers should be aware they are driving through salt water in that area.
While Ernesto is sprinting up the North Atlantic, it will take until Tuesday for the seas to calm from the storm that made landfall Saturday morning on Bermuda.
“Coastal flooding concerns from Ernesto end Monday morning, although water levels will remain elevated through the week from higher astronomical tides,” said forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City.
More overwash along Hatteras and Ocracoke was expected with high tide on Sunday around 7 p.m. and Monday around 8 a.m.
A High Surf Advisory and Coastal Flood Advisory remain in effect south of Oregon Inlet through Monday morning.
A High Risk of rip currents and dangerous shorebreak will also continue on Monday, and red flags will be posted along all Outer Banks beaches.
