August 27 marked 10 years since Hurricane Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, N.C., as a Category 1 storm, bringing significant soundside flooding to northern Hatteras Island and the Outer Banks.
The approximate 12 ft. of storm surge, (per National Weather Service records), resulted in the formation of two new inlets on Pea Island, in addition to multiple dune breaches, power interruptions for more than a week, and the closure of N.C. Highway 12 from September 27 through October 10.
Island Free Press reporters and photographers covered the storm from its initial landfall to the reopening of N.C. Highway 12 weeks later, and a collection of their images show the true extent of Irene’s damage.
For more information on how Irene changed the Outer Banks landscape, see https://islandfreepress.org/hatteras-island-features/how-hurricane-irene-changed-the-outer-banks-10-years-later/.
