RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Some Outer Banks flooding was seen Tuesday and crews worked to improve dunes along the key coastal island highway against impacts from Hurricane Erin.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation had several crews out adding sand to dune barriers along N.C. 12 late Tuesday afternoon.
“There is a very real probability for significant impacts beginning with tonight’s high tide, and worsening through Friday as Hurricane Erin approaches,” the NCDOT said. “Those impacts may include a road closure, possibly for several days.”
However, crews admitted the efforts would likely not save the highway from flooding as a tropical storm warning was issued along with a storm surge warning for much of the North Carolina coast — and especially the Outer Banks islands.
Several images and video from social media showed some flooding on N.C. 12 and under homes in Buxton at the north end of Ocracoke Island. By 5:35 p.m. Tuesday, a small stream appeared to flow across N.C. 12 in Buxton, an NCDOT camera showed.
Officials encouraged residents and visitors to evacuate Hatteras and Ocracoke islands while N.C. 12 was still open.
NCDOT crews work on NC 12 at the Outer Banks on Tuesday, Aug. 19. NCDOT image
Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, N.C. 12 officials released photos of several crews with earth movers and scoop loaders trying to build up dunes along the highway.
“However, given the winds, wave heights and storm surge forecast, it likely won’t be enough,” the NCDOT wrote.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, and more than 1,800 people had left Ocracoke by ferry since Monday.
Flooding in Buxton on Hatteras on Tues. Aug 19. NCDOT image
Bulldozers were busy shoring up the dunes, and on Hatteras, the owners of a pier removed a few planks, hoping the storm surge will pass through without tearing up the structure.
The Outer Banks’ thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. There are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway, leaving some routes impassible for days.
NCDOT crews work on NC 12 at the Outer Banks on Tuesday, Aug. 19. NCDOT image
