The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 17

013SE1ITR SEPTEMBER 17 2005 Hurricane Ophelia 1 7A 17A 'This is definitely the spirit of Hatteras This is a LYNNE FOSTER A HATTERAS ISLAND FESTIVAL ORGANIZER Coast cheers Ophelia's departure begin assessing damage power is back on in most homes and the state ports are open again A i I' --7 --444 -1 -1 1 i 1 t- -t 0 4 IL '1 'r' l'" I MIS" ti 11:::1 1 1 '''t'''0 4 ot ''''0 Lm4Z1 Z1! I 1' 1 7:1 it 4: r---- 4 1 1 'V OfrOL l'A 3'e 7 'V 4 4 4 '''''''''''''''''4k r'' 4 1 1a 1 -VA- -4 4 ---'f ro'-'411116t? ''''11411 ---41C'''t 0 ii-''' -r------ 'f-IIAi- rovicAort ienr--- i I 'r 1" r'--- ti'- otoregirarmop44-1011 itil' oN -I -4 'AlleNt '7 ies4 iimiog Att ''''-'-'----1--''''' 0- zuri ---f- -aa---- 410-wb i i 'rt 1- 4 7' i Ntt -t-'''': t''''" r- t'''' 1 ere 4 -4 '--A2 '7 1-- i 4' 4- 4f4 r774 '4-''-40- -a -te -) 440 1-- 5'7-- 1 7-- i-s se ct11 ler ling 1 es 3ht focuses ri needs ONNER ZITER stronger build- he flooding and nue with hurri- 1 der Marc Bas- 1 (la 14s Basnight's restaurant wouldn't measure up in coastal Dare ized stiffer remildings along hould have shatsaid and siding Id stay on build-Is hingles building that's coast has to ght said "We 's wrong when at 70 miles an hours after Hur)ped away from ut to weeks alCatrina flooded Le planned to talk Jim Black about embers and senmmittee along rested parties ready talked to focuses needs BONNER WRITER stronger the flooding and come with leader Marc I as is0 Li Basnight's restaurant wouldn't measure up in coastal Dare stiffer buildings along should have said and siding stay on shingles building that's coast has to said "We wrong when at 70 miles an hours after loped away from to weeks Katrina flooded he planned to talk Jim Black about members and committee along interested parties already talked to story of resilience' piling off the beach after the Kure Beach fishing pier paced storm was significant Erosion was worst along Topsail Island but beaches were shorn away also in Carteret and New Hanover counties Storm surge caused heavy flood damage around Salter Path on Bogue Banks and caused minor flooding elsewhere Down East the Hyde County towns of Swan An excavator moves car-size sandbags into place to protect houses on Figure Eight Island from the pounding surf Beach erosion was evident after Hurricane Ophelia hovered over the North Carolina coast for three days STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN ROCCO 41 it f6i 5- 4z 1 -6' I 1 3 a a DIE NEWS SATURDAY Teams BY JERRY RAWLINE HATTERA savvy resic land Hurr windy aggn far less dan For the ro lina coast tt doled out 1 that could I was deeme( egory 1 hur Because veered easi the island stretch oft spared the The highest mph at Cal hit 83 mph 1 Cape Hatt( 'They 1 Merrell a National Newport On Frida nor floodi gasps of 01 a tropical 1 Carolina wake islar festival to( storm-ball communit: ricane hat 'This is Hatteras" festival org of resilien( While I planned al disaster of through sessment tl eral Erne Agency ar mators mo New Han( slow coun After le coastal co assemble state disaE Doug emergenc tor said disaster total more of that suE from the President dared a di olina cow payments Federal Er Agency no State ag an initial $196 mill counties1 in Carter( Duplin By late 5700 hor still witho der Carte a frao 240000 tl the powe CONTI away eni shattered was scat parking I 1 "It's te said 'rhur the sand daughter near Can' on the be I the sums 1 "The said "I I 1 this bad' Other Other I New Ha slammed erosion 1 cant for of hard-1 dunes breached On th 3 County's line was 3 lia Duni a by Hurrio I were stil a man-ma( a lage wer a by windt Tor Theo debate al ol ought tc aeorl l' THE NEws SATURDAY Teams BY JERRY RAWLINS HATTERAS Hurricane windy far less For the coast the doled out that could was deemed 1 Because veered east the island stretch of spared the The highest mph at Cape hit 83 mph Cape Hatteras "They Merrell a National Newport On Friday flooding gasps of a tropical Carolina wake festival community's Isabel 'This is Hatteras" festival of resilience" While planned a disaster through Agency New Hanover counties After coastal assemble state disaster Doug emergency said disaster total more of that from the President a payments Federal Agency State an initial $196 million counties in Carteret Duplin By late 5700 homes still without Carteret a 240000 the power CONTINUED away shattered was parking "It's said Thursday the sand daughter near Camp on the the summer "The said "I this bad" Other Other New slammed erosion for of dunes breached On the County's was Dunes by Hurricane were still man-made were by To The debate ought to Stiffer building codes sought Basnight on coastal BY LYNN STAFF The state needs buildings to withstand high winds that hurricanes Senate Basnight said Friday Basnight plans to ap- point a special commission to examine codes for public and private con- struction The commission should look at standards statewide he said But Basnight who lives County emphasized requirements for the coast New buildings shatter-proof glass he and shingles should buildings in high winds Flying "The kind of going on at the change" Basnight know something's shingles fly off hour" Basnigrht spoke Hurricane Ophelia the state and about after Hurricane New Orleans Basnight said to House Speaker putting House senators on the with other Black has House members about having a select committee on emergency preparedness which would study state readiness for natural disasters and terrorism Julie Robinson a spokeswoman for Black said the speaker hopes Basnight will appoint senators to the emergency preparedness committee which could put building codes on its agenda The Basnight family business the Lone Cedar 'Cafe in Manteo would not measure up to the stricter standards Basnigrht wants considered Upgrading the restaurant would be too expensive he said "I don't have the money to do that" he said Staff writer Lynn Bonner can be reached at 829-4821 or couldn't say what might happen this year Money is no guarantee Renourishment is no permanent fix At the private enclave of Figure Eight Island waves were lapping at the feet of multimillion-dollar homes once Ophelia passed through Erosion has increased significantly there in the past two years despite the island's privately funded nourishment program said Charles Jones director of the state Division of Coastal Management In North Topsail Beach this week electricians Dannie and Donna Walker wandered among the damaged homes stepping across electrical and water lines twisted across the sand The couple have made post-storm repairs there year after year "There used to be two football fields' worth of sand out there" Dannie Walker said Ophelia ought to be the end of these homes he said staring at the reinforced pilings toweringover the water But then he thought that after the last hurricane "What amazes me is people keep buying them' he said "Golly people can't you see?" Staff writer Jerry Allegood contributed to this report Staff writer Barbara Barrett can be reached at 829-4870 or bbarrettnewsobservercom ALLEGOOD WE AND JIM NEsBrrr STAFF WRITERS For the storm-savvy residents of Hatteras Island Ophelia was a aggravation that delivered damage than feared rest of the North Carolina slow-moving cyclone battering destruction have been worse but bad enough fora Category hurricane the erratic storm of its expected path and the northern the Outer Banks were predicted thrashing gust recorded was 90 Lookout the wind Thursday morning at were lucky" said Jim forecaster with the Weather Service in gusty winds and minor marked the last Ophelia downgraded to storm as it left North waters In the cyclone's islanders made plans for a today to celebrate their storm-battered heritage and the rebound from Hurricane two years ago definitely the spirit of said Lynne Foster a organizer "This is a story Hatteras residents party federal and state officials started picking the damage Four assessment teams composed of Federal Emergency Management and state disaster estimators moved into Brunswick Bladen and On-slow Friday leapfrogging to other counties the teams will a damage estimate officials said Hoell North Carolina's management director the state's share of the response probably will than $1 million much subject to reimbursement federal government Bush already has declared disaster in 37 North Carolina counties allowing federal to flow according to a Emergency Management news release agriculture officials gave damage estimate of from Ophelia in 13 with the heaviest losses Columbus Craven Sampson and Wayne afternoon Friday only and business were electricity in Pen-der and Craven counties fraction of the nearly that Ophelia knocked off grid The state ports EROSION FROM PAGE 'IA entirely stairways were and wooden fencing scattered through public lots terrible" Kathy Mc Nett as she walked along with her husband and The family which lives Lejetme usually plays beach there once a week in dunes are all gone" she didn't think it would be beaches spared beaches in Carteret and Hanover counties were by the storm but the there wasn't as significant most With the exception hard-hit Figure Eight Island were slashed but not Outer Banks Dare extensive ocean coastline largely spared by Opheha that were decimated Isabel two years ago standing though some dunes at Hatteras Village trimmed a little on top wind-whipped waves renourish or not contrast raises again the about whether government spend money to Cochran uses a backhoe to take a up on shore The piling came from STAFF PHOTO BY ROBERT WILLETT ter rescue teams the Guard troops responded to four calls for help spokesman Maj Warner Wells said: in Brunswick County in Bridgeton just across the Neuse River from New Bern in Craven County near Arapahoe in Pamlico County and near HarLowe in Carteret County Beach erosion from the snail MIt Gfi41A Mit41g Quarter Engelhard and Sladesville experienced minor flooding So did Ocracoke Island and in Oriental some businesses were flooded "When that storm made that easterly turn at the last minute it took away the storm surge potential and put the worst of it offshore" said Tony Spencer Hyde County emergency management director "It spared Ocracoke" The Transportation Department opened a temporary one-lane bridge in Pamlico to replace one that washed out NC 12 the main artery of the Outer Banks was reopened through Dare and Hyde counties but was dosed in eastern Carteret Camty untfl Friday afternoon so inspectors could check bridges near Cedar Island that had been flooded Carol Lohr executive director of the Crystal Coast Tourism Authority which includes Emerald Isle Atlantic Morehead City and Beaufort said the hurricane had affected tourism and tourists' vacation plans "Some hotels don't have telephone service" Lohr said "The power is still being restored in certain areas" Staff writer Barbara Barrett contributed to this report Staff writer Jerry Allegood can be reached at (252) 752-8411 or jerryagnewsobservercorn Outer Banks: Inlet berm lost 15 feet on seaward side in Hatteras Minor erosion elsewhere Bogue Banks: Some dune erosion and scarping Beach lost elevation as sand was pulled offshore Sandbags under dunes exposed in Pine Knoll Shores Some erosion on sound side Topsail island: Beach eroded more than 20 feet at the north end of the island with beach elevation loss of more than 6 feet in some spots Several dunes breached or washed away along the island Island overwash at the north end More than 80 percent of stairways lost on Topsail Beach The News Observer said Pilkey speaking of the hurricane that devastated the Gulf Coast last month After last year's stormy burricane season the federal government funded repairs to beaches in Florida and Alabama that were under contract with the Army Corps of Engineers said Penny Schmitt spokeswoman for the agency's Wilmington branch She WHERE SAND WAS LOST Ophelia churned in the Atlantic for (11:1 days kicking up high waves and rij eroding some beaches Elizabeth ar st es a re er nt o)) t- ---60 i 2) I I Rocky p--'-litclinion 1-4Mount 1:: 14- Raleigh Wilson Williamston se Ts Greenvilw fl) Jr 1 I' 'N 'r' I :1 s'N kke'i "s-- sl 1 17 99 Rocky Plinton Mount 4 Winfainston Wilson Greenvilk Raleigh Naos (ytlead Swan Claw-tar 12? Kitty Cape Hatteras Hatteras Kure Beach employee Ed Hurricane Ophelia washed it at Wilmington and Morehead City also were reopened All but 120 Guard soldiers were sent home The remaining troops took water ice and supplies to Brunswick and Carteret counties and ferried local law enforcement in high-wheeled vehicles to flood-stricken areas in Carteret County Teamed with civilian swift wa sionally dump new sand on the beach as protection from storms Topsail Island has no beach re-nourishment program most of the other islands do "I guess you can go to the age-old question: Should we be out here to begin with?" asked Thomas Cassell town manager for North Topsail Beach "The price of property it's outrageous But they're buying it you know" The towns along Topsail Island are studying whether to get involved in beach nourishment but the replenishment for seven miles of North Topsail Beach alone could cost $15 million Cassell said His town's budget is $2 million a year Nourishment programs operate on the assumption that high dunes and deep strands protect private homes and costly public infrastructure from the ocean's wrath A storm hits and a town has lost sand but little else The programs are complicated Some coastal towns can join forces with the Army Corps of Engineers for long-term sand dumps from nearby waterways that are dredged regularly Other towns choose or are forced to buy new beaches on their own because of coastal regulations Many get financial help from state taxpayers But Sullivan a real-estate investor who owns other homes on Topsail Island figures that if the town allows building at all it ought to somehow replenish the beaches Kinsto Jacksonvil11(58: 't' Oldir Beech 6rdVi'0 1 --Oak 'Carailna Beach Isla Kure Beach 2S MLES 'Kinston 's-- '1V --IF 10s1 t70 1 ka 'Si: JacirsonviT ogrAy 1 j-- 2S 141LES tops4H- Bead's- WIlmInd'9'14Figure Unfit Island 6111V Beach 3 1'01'" 1 i r-r "--71ak --ioCaroline beech 17) Island 1 Kure Beech 4- iiaeras ii I -r 'Ai- 2 i -0' eslo 4-01517 r' rnl'Pin4 Kntt Shores to i 0 1' 1 4- I Ocracoke Hatteras 14411 Shores New Hanover County beaches: Significant erosion at Figure Eight Island some septic tanks exposed Dunes eaten away at Wrightsville Carolina Beach and Kure Beach with some noticeable cliffs Wrightsville Beach has asked to bulldoze sand for home protection Brunswick County beaches: 4 with Some moderate erosion Vegetation damage and dunes id Beac Wrig overwashed on Oak Island I Source: NE Department of Environment and Natural Resources with Beach I I ter rver u(1 in the way of nature are just getting caught said Pi lkey a professor emeritus of earth sciences at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences If the storms continue through spring he said "we're in trouble" "Katrina has shown us that the time has come to move back" "Otherwise what are we paying taxes for?" she asked "I'm trying to figure it out" Nature's tidings To geologist Orrin Pilkey Ophelia is another reminder that barrier islands move naturally with or without man-made structures And those who put homes -ftA-.