![]() The Hatterask Indians, known as Croatoan people, once hunted and fished here prior to colonial intrusion. The town’s recent population hovers near 700, declining roughly 25% in the last decade – though nearly 10,000 tourists inhabit the island during the peak summer season. Map of North Carolina's Highway 12 along the Outer Banks Signs advertising church services rose from the salt marsh. I drove past a monument to a seafood processing family, a solitary shrimp boat, houses haphazardly raised on stilts – some looking like a Hail Mary DIY-job. The closer I got to the ferry terminal, the more development slowed. Then, I turned toward Cedar Island to catch the ferry to Ocracoke. I drove through the heart of town and past the docks, where I first fell in love with maritime culture. ![]() Once quiet and historic, the town is now beloved by developers for its charm and association with the pirate Blackbeard. I set out the next morning at 6am, knowing I had at least a 10-hour driving day ahead of me, and two ferries to catch.įirst I drove to Beaufort, a small town located on an inlet, where I spent much of my childhood summers. T he day before my trip, the North Carolina department of transportation indicated that Highway 12 would reopen earlier than expected, but drivers would need to beware of standing salt water and evening high tides. Static landscapes remind us of who we were shifting landscapes remind us that we have changed, or perhaps that we have not cared for what matters to us enough. Now he says there are over a 100 miles of beaches that need re-nourishment every couple of years, at the cost of $3m to $6m a mile. Up until the 1990s, about 15 miles of North Carolina’s ocean beaches required re-nourishment sand on an irregular basis in order to have what Riggs calls “a wide and healthy beach for a successful economic year”. Now the oceanfront is totally built out and has locked the system into a guaranteed natural disaster zone.”ĭevelopment and climate change are straining the islands. “Before World War II,” Riggs explains, “all the old villages were built on the backside of the islands. “The beach will move, villages will flood, and storm surges will open new inlets to let storm surge water both into and out of the estuaries.” However, the government has allowed further development and built higher dune dykes to protect the highway and homes, which essentially traps storm surge during weather events, making flooding much worse over time. “We must learn to live with storm dynamics,” Riggs says. Right: a tractor seen through sand dunes on the road. The road reopened months later, in early December. In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian destroyed 1,000ft of Highway 12 in Ocracoke. ![]() In recent years, Hurricanes Irene and Isabel carved Hatteras Island in half, causing locals to use emergency ferries for weeks until the highway was restored. Nature’s strength and will is undeniable, despite human intentions. However, the fixed structures of ocean front development and Highway 12 now lock the barrier islands in place. “Before the major economic development boom of the 20th century,” Riggs said, “these islands were allowed to respond naturally to storm dynamics … The barriers are both the ocean’s speed bumps and the land’s safety valves, and must be able to move in response to the storms’ energy.” The yellow bulldozers work all year long now. ![]() Some segments require total rebuilding multiple times a year. It’s a lifeline for the nearly 20 communities, 57,000 residents, small businesses and tourists – but high tides and storms gnaw constantly at the road.ĭr Stanley Riggs, a geologist who runs an organization devoted to sustainable practices along North Carolina’s coast, tells me there are “numerous portions of this highway with serious problems that require severe ongoing maintenance. North Carolina’s Highway 12 runs 148 miles, a system of two-lane highways, ferries and bridges connecting islands and peninsulas. Northern Buxton, Hatteras Village and Northern Rodanthe had just reported ocean overwash from a nor’easter, and the road was closed. I stopped by my sister’s house in Wilmington, North Carolina, in early November, where I planned to start my trip up Highway 12. An excavator rests in the sand along Highway 12.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |