Buxton lost as much as 300 feet of beach in some places after back-to-back storms
AND THE WRAL APP ON YOUR TV
OR STREAMING DEVICE.
>> NEW DRONE VIDEO YOU'VE GOT
TO SEE. IT'S GIVING US A BETTER
LOOK AT DESTRUCTION. THE CREWS
ARE CLEANING UP ALONG THE OUTER
BANKS AFTER 9 HOMES COLLAPSE IN
LESS THAN A WEEK. YET SOME ARE
LOOKING TO START HAULING AWAY.
THE DEBRIS IN BUXTON WERE
NEARLY ALL OF THEM FELL INTO
THE OCEAN.
>> THEY'RE TRYING TO STAY AHEAD
OF THE STORMS IN THE KING TIDES
THAT COULD CAUSE EVEN MORE
DAMAGE. WRAL, CLIMATE CHANGE
REPORTER LIZ MCLAUGHLIN SHOWS
US JUST HOW MUCH GROUND TO THE
COAST IS ALREADY LOST. AND A
NEW TOOL BEING USED TO TRACK
IT.
>> THESE 3 D MAPS REALLY SHOW
THE SCALE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN BUXTON. YOU CAN SEE JUST
HOW FAR THIS DEBRIS HAS SPREAD
AND JUST HOW MUCH SHORELINE
HAS BEEN LOST. AND THAT LEAVES
THESE HOMES ON THE FRONT LINES
EVEN MORE VULNERABLE WITH EACH
WAVE PULLING AWAY MORE AND MORE
SAND AND PUSHING THOSE HOMES
CLOSER TO COLLAPSE AT THE OCEAN
HAS SWALLOWED AN ENTIRE STRETCH
OF THE OUTER BANKS LEAVING A
TRAIL OF BROKEN PILINGS AND
DEBRIS. NOW OUR COAST
RESEARCHERS ARE MAPPING EVERY
INCH OF THAT LOSS USING DRONES
AND LIGHT ARE EARLY. DATA SHOWS
THE SHORELINE MOVED AN AVERAGE
OF 68 FEET INLAND. AND AS MUCH
AS 141 FEET IN SOME AREAS,
WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD A
DATABASE OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE
DOING ON THE COAST.
>> AND HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS.
OUR COAST FOUNDER CHRISTIE'S
SWAN SAYS THIS WORK HITS CLOSE
TO HOME. SHE GREW UP IN EASTERN
NORTH CAROLINA AND SAYS SHE
WANTS TO MAKE SURE THESE
COASTLINES HAVE
A FUTURE.
>> I'M UPSET. I'M HEARTBROKEN.
I WANT TO DO SOMETHING. I WANT
TO GET PEOPLE EXCITED AND FIRED
UP ABOUT LIKE. HAVING A
DIFFERENT SOLUTION. THEN WHAT
THIS SAYS, BECAUSE THIS IS THE
FRONT LINES OF CHANGE AND
ADAPTATION. THE DATA IS ALREADY
IN THE HANDS OF DARE COUNTY
OFFICIALS WHO ARE RACING TO
CLEAR WHAT'S LEFT BEHIND.
THE COUNTY SAYS 7 OF THE 9
HOMEOWNERS HAVE HIRED PRIVATE
CONTRACTORS TO REMOVE DEBRIS
WHILE CREWS FROM THE PARK
SERVICE ARE WORKING THROUGH THE
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TO CLEAN
THE BEACHES AND TODAY COMPARED
TO WHEN MANY OF THESE HOUSES
WERE BUILT, WE HAVE AN EXTRA
FOOT OF SEA LEVEL.
>> ADD THAT ADDITIONAL FOOT OF
SEA LEVEL. MAYBE IT DOESN'T
SEEM LIKE MUCH. BUT YOU PUT A
STORM ON TOP OF THAT AND WHERE
YOU WEREN'T SEEING WATER 20
YEARS AGO. YOU'RE SEEING WATER
TODAY.
>> CREWS ARE TRYING TO GET AS
MUCH CLEANUP DONE AS POSSIBLE
BEFORE THIS WEEKEND'S COASTAL
STORM AND KING TIDES BRING MORE
HIGH SURF AND THE RISK OF MORE
HOMES FALLING INTO THE OCEAN.
RESEARCHERS PLAN TO EXPAND THIS
MAPPING TO OTHER COASTAL
COMMUNITIES. SO LEADERS CAN
UNDERSTAND HOW THE SHORELINE
IS CHANGING AND PERHAPS HOW TO