The Outer Banks of NC, when I was growing up was filled with old funky small cottages and motels. That’s all been taken over by monster three story, 20 room houses that sit ocean side totally exposed to the ocean one after another. This hurricane is going to destroy that area. Cottages a little inland and behind the dunes may do better but this place will be shut down for weeks.
“Flooding well inland could wreak environmental havoc by washing over industrial waste sites and hog farms”
So Duke’s coal ash ponds and the lagoons that store all that pig feces that are a disaster under the best of circumstances are going to “spread the wealth”?
This IS North Carolina so just move along folks… nuttin’ to see here.
Well, I guess we are going to soon find out about the ability of totally modern, US mainland Power Grids to stand up to Category 4 Hurricanes. I am sure Donald Trump and the Modern Dixie-GOP will blame Barack Obama. Ryan Zinke’s buddies at Whitefish Energy are getting their ducks in a row…
Yeah my wife’s family rents an older, maybe 20 years old, big duplex cottage that is ocean front and has 6 bedrooms each side for our family week at the beach. The cottages on either side were older single story, guessing 3 or 4 bedroom cottages with asbestos siding. One was replaced with a 3 store with pool cottage maybe 5 years ago. Usually no one in it the july week we are there. The one on the other side, who owner lived there year round, was torn down and a new 3 story monster built in it’s place sometime between when we were there last July and this July. Apparently the owner got an offer they couldn’t refuse and move inland a ways, probably off the barrier island that these cottages are on. Probably 10 years ago the beach was getting really close to the cottage and the Army corp of engineers had one of their beach renourishment programs where they pump sand and shell fragments from the channel behind the island onto the beachfront. Pretty amazing to go one year and see high tide lapping at the dune just in front of the cottage and return the next year and the ocean is a couple 100 yards away for pretty much the whole length of the island which I think is nearly 5 miles.
Edit: This is interesting from here.
In 2012, North Carolina legislators passed a bill that barred policymakers and developers from using up-to-date climate science to plan for rising sea levels on the state’s coast.
I will say the two cottages on either side of the one we stay in have their first floor significantly higher than ours which was slightly higher that than the old ones. So although the state laws might not acknowledge climate change it appears builders or more likely insurance companies do.
I can’t believe that they still pump sand to build up the beach, it’s a loosing proposition. And, the rate that all of those “cottages” went up in the last 30-40 years I’m not sure the construction is rock solid. After this hurricane maybe N.C. will come to it’s senses about building all of these huge places that I know probably are only occupied for 6 months out of the year. I liked it much better when it was funky town and not OBX.
Well like I said the sand is what they pump out of the canal behind the island so yes it’s something they have to constantly do if they want to keep the canals passable, so they have to put the sand somewhere. Might as well be on the front side to protect the houses. Environmentally good I doubt, but Army Corp I doubt has ever given much of a shit about being environmentally friendly.
“He said the federal government is “absolutely, totally prepared” for Florence.”
That preparation consists of:
A statement issued to the media how we can not use any footage or mention of this storm to bolster global climate hoax rumors.
A hearty congratulations to the folks of North Carolina for their fun unplanned vacation.
A warehouse full of paper towels, and a football coach on call to help 45* with his quarterback throwing arm.
Only a couple thousand sites…
Interesting in the atricle that computer models predict 36" of rain, but farmers have dropped lagoon levels 2 feet. Two questions, do they know 36" is 12 inches more that 2ft and where they take all the shit, literally, the pumped out? Man I really wish they promote using that waste in some good or better way.