Hurricane Erin underscores beach erosion issues in Rodanthe
AT ANY TIME. AND IT.
>> HURRICANE ERIN IS OUT HERE.
BLEW PAST THE NORTH CAROLINA
COAST SHOT PAST MAINE AND OUT
OF OUR LIVES. YOU CAN EVEN SEE
IT ON THE RADAR ANYMORE.
METEOROLOGIST KAT CAMPBELL TOLD
US IT GOT INTO AN UPPER LEVEL
LOW WHICH SOUNDS PRETTY ROUGH,
BUT YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL BAD FOR
AARON. I MEAN, LOOK AT WHAT IT
LEFT BEHIND ON THE OUTER BANKS.
THERE ARE A WHOLE AIR
CONDITIONING UNITS AMONG THE
DEBRIS ON THE BEACH. THIS IS
HIGHWAY 12 HEARS THE STORM CAME
THROUGH FLOODED AND COVERED
WITH SAND. BUT HERE'S HIGHWAY
12 NOW DOT REOPENED IT TO
TRAFFIC JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS
AGO. FERRY SERVICE IS BACK UP
AND RUNNING TO. SO THINGS ARE
STARTING TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.
BUT WHILE THE DEBRIS IN THE
DAMAGE CAN BE CLEANED UP AND
REPAIRED LIKE IT HAS BEEN SO
MANY TIMES BEFORE THERE.
SUE SOME THINGS THAT ARE MUCH
HARDER TO FIX TALKING ABOUT
EROSION, BEACH EROSION, CAROLEE
FIX IT. YOU CAN ONLY KEEP UP.
IT'S THE REASON THOSE HOLMES
KEEP FALLING INTO THE OCEAN IN
RODANTHE 11 IN THE LAST 5
YEARS. THEY DIDN'T BUILD THE
HOUSES ON TOP OF THE WAVES.
THE WAVES CAME A KNOCK AND THEY
CAME UP TO THE HOUSE BECAUSE
OF EROSION. 3 HOMES FELL INTO
THE WATER LAST YEAR. AND WHEN,
YOU KNOW, IN A FEW MORE HOMES
OR AT RISK OF COLLAPSE DURING
HURRICANE ERIN, AS FAR AS WE
KNOW, THEY'RE STILL STANDING.
THEY MADE IT THROUGH THE STORM.
THIS STORM AS WE KNOW THERE'S
GOING TO BE ANOTHER STORM IN
ANOTHER ONE AFTER THAT, IT WILL
PROBABLY GET ANOTHER VIRAL
VIDEO OF A HOUSE CRASHING INTO
THE WAVES AND HAPPENS YEAR
AFTER YEAR. SO WHY DOES IT KEEP
HAPPENING AND WAS TO KEEP
HAPPENING THERE? WHAT'S NOT
ONLY BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE,
IT'S MAINLY BECAUSE OF MONEY.
YOU SEE THE SOLUTION FOR BEACH
EROSION IS EXPENSIVE, BUT TOWNS
DO IT. TOWNS UP AND DOWN OUR
COAST REUNIRSE THEIR BEACHES
EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE
THEY HAVE TO THEY SPEND
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PUMP
SAND OUT OF THE OCEAN. BACK
ON TO SHORE. THAT'S OF THOSE
BIG PIPES OR 4. IF YOU'VE SEEN
HIM ON THE BEACH, WRIGHTSVILLE
BEACH IS ABOUT 3 FEET OF BEACH
EROSION PER YEAR AND THEY HAVE
TO KEEP UP WITH THAT WHERE
THEY'D ALL BE LIKE RODANTHE.
THEY SPENT 14 MILLION DOLLARS
LAST YEAR TO RENO, RUSH AND
FIGHT THAT ROCHE AND THE
TROUBLE IS RODANTHE DOES ERODE
A LOT FASTER BASED ON WHERE
IT IS AND ABOUT 15 FEET OF YEAR
OF SAND A YEAR GETS TAKEN AWAY,
WHICH MEANS THAT WIENER
SCHNITZEL THEM WOULD ALSO COST
A WHOLE LOT MORE LIKE
40 MILLION DOLLARS. AND THAT'S
NOT A ONE-TIME FEE. WRITE THE
WAVES, DON'T STOP. THEY KEEP
CRASHING. THE BEACH WILL KEEP
ROADING AND THAT AREA WOULD
HAVE TO KEEP UP BY PAYING UP.
AND THAT'S A LOT TO ASK A PLACE
LIKE RODANTHE TO DO WITH THE
POPULATION IS LESS THAN 300
PEOPLE. THE TAX BASE JUST ISN'T
THERE IS TOO SMALL FOR A
PROJECT THAT BEGAN ESSENTIALLY
THEY'VE BEEN ABANDONED IN A LOT
OF WAYS. THEY'VE ASKED FOR
HELP. ADAIR COUNTY APPLIED FOR
A FEDERAL GRANT, BUT FEMA SAID
NO, THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT TO HIM
BECAUSE THAT TAX BASE IS TOO
SMALL. SO WHAT ELSE CAN BE
DONE? WHAT ABOUT MOVING THE
HOMES OR JUST DEMOLISHING THEM
BEFORE THE WAVES CAN TAKE THEM
THAT THAT'S POSSIBLE. IN FACT,
THIS YEAR, ONE HOME WAS
DEMOLISHED IN ONE HOME WAS
MOVED. THE NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE HELPS WITH THIS
SOMETIMES BECAUSE THEY SEE IT
AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD.
THEY WILL BUY THE HOME
SPECIFICALLY TO DEMOLISH THEM.
IN 2023. THEY BOUGHT 2 HOMES
FOR MORE THAN $700,000 COMBINED
USING A SPECIAL FUND TO PROTECT
NATURAL AREAS. THE PARK SERVICE
TORE DOWN THE HOMES BEFORE THEY
COULD COLLAPSE. AND THEN
POLLUTE THE BEACH. AND I CAN'T
TELL YOU ENOUGH HOW BAD THAT
POLLUTION CAN BE. JUST LISTEN
TO HOW ONE PARK RANGER PUT IT
IN. A VIDEO POSTED BY THEIR
COUNTY.
>> THOSE IMPACTS ARE MAGNIFIED
TREMENDOUSLY. WE COULD HAVE
DEBRIS ON THE BEACH THAT IS SO
THICK THAT IN SOME AREAS IT'S
DIFFICULT TO WALK MUCH OF THAT
DEBRIS IS WRITTEN WITH NAILS
AND THEREFORE IT POSES A PUBLIC
SAFETY ISSUE. SO IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR THE OWNER OF THE
HOUSE TO THEMSELVES OR WITH
THEIR CONTRACTOR START CLEANING
UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE
FOUND IN MANY CASES WE'VE HAD
TO SUPPLEMENT BACK CLEAN UP TO
TRY TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF
THE VISITORS, HABITATS AND
RESOURCES OF THE PARK. SO
WHAT'S ANOTHER SOLUTION?
WELL, THEY COULD MOVE THE HOMES
AGAIN. THAT CAN BE DONE.
>> BUT THE PROCESS IS OFTEN
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE HOME IS
EVEN WORTH. SO YOU ASK ABOUT
INSURANCE. THOSE PEOPLE HAVE
INSURANCE, RIGHT? WELL, FIRST,
THE PRIVATE INSURERS WHEN IT
COMES TO MOVING HOUSE, THEY
SAY NO WAY. THAT'S NOT WHAT
WE DO. WE'RE NOT THERE TO MOVE
HOUSE SECOND. THEY HAVE THE
FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE THAT
THIS THING TOO. BUT THEY WILL
DO THAT WORK EITHER. EVEN
THOUGH THEY USED TO THE UPTON
JONES ACT PASSED IN 1988,
PROVIDED THIS SERVICE 40% OF
THE POLICY TO RELOCATE THE HOME
110% TO DEMOLISH IT. AND IT
SENT ADVISED PEOPLE TO TAKE
CARE OF THIS ISSUE. BUT 6 YEARS
LATER, 1994, THAT LAW WAS
REPEALED. IT WAS JUST TOO
EXPENSIVE, MEANING FOR MOST
PEOPLE, THE EASIEST PATH TO
GET ANY MONEY IT UP IS TO DO
THE ONE THING INSURANCE WILL
PAY FOR. IT'S THE WORST CASE
SCENARIO ALLOWING THE OCEAN
TO TAKE THE HOUSE TO SPREAD
THAT DEBRIS UP AND DOWN THE
COAST. NOW PARA NORTH CAROLINA
CONGRESSMAN ARE TRYING TO
CHANGE THIS REPUBLICAN GREG
MURPHY AND DEMOCRAT DON DAVIS
WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE HERE.
THEY SPONSORED THE PREVENT
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ACT WOULD
LET NACH NATIONAL FLOOD
INSURANCE PROGRAM TO GIVE
PAYOUTS TO DEMOLISH OR RELOCATE
HOMES BEFORE THEY ARE DESTROYED
AND CAUSE ALL THOSE PROBLEMS
THEY PROPOSED THE BILL LAST
YEAR. TODAY WE CHECKED IN WITH
REPRESENTATIVE MURPHY TO GET
AN UPDATE TO ASK IF THERE'S
BEEN ANY PROGRESS HERE. AND HE
SAYS A STATEMENT THAT READS IN
PART, I CONTINUE TO VIGOROUSLY
ADVOCATE FOR URGENT ACTION BY
THE HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES
COMMITTEE WHERE MY BILL HAS
BEEN REFERRED TO. IT IS COMMON
SENSE REFORM THAT I WILL
CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR. AS LONG
AS I HAVE THE HONOR TO SERVE
OUR COASTAL COMMUNITIES.
SO THAT WAS A REALLY LONG WAY
OF SAYING IT HASN'T GONE
ANYWHERE. NOT YET. ANYWAY,
CONGRESS IS BACK IN SESSION
NEXT WEEK. SO WE'LL SEE WHAT
HAPPENS. BUT A SOLUTION CAN'T
COME SOON ENOUGH. A REPORT FROM
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY FOUND IT
8,800 OCEANFRONT PROPERTIES IN
NORTH CAROLINA. OF ALL THOSE
750 OR AT RISK FROM EROSION.
BUT THAT NUMBER COULD GET
BIGGER. THE REPORT GOES ON TO
SAY THIS SITUATION IS
ANTICIPATED TO WORSEN WITH
INCREASING SEA LEVEL RISE IN
COASTAL STORMS. LIKE I SAID,
THE WAVES WE'LL KEEP CRASHING.
THE BEACH WILL CONTINUE TO
ERODE STORMS LIKE HURRICANE
ERIN, EVEN IF THEY NEVER MAKE
LANDFALL, ONLY MAKE IT WORSE.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW
ABOUT THIS? SEND ME AN E-MAIL.
DAN AT WRAL DOT COM. WHAT
QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT BEACH
EROSION. THE CONSEQUENCES OF
HURRICANES AND OUR COAST.
THE OUTLOOK AS THESE STORMS
CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY. AND
HONESTLY, RIGHT HERE IN THE
TRIANGLE, WHAT WHAT DOES IT
MEAN FOR ALL OF US? TELL ME