HURRICANE ISABEL DAMAGE 



When Hurricane Isabel hit the Outer Banks last fall, it caused wide- 

 spread dune erosion. 



Although detailed dune erosion analysis is incomplete, by eye about 

 20 to 50 feet of dune was lost north of Avon in Dare County, according to 

 Rogers. 



"The damage was light in areas where the buildings remained behind 

 the dunes," adds Rogers. "Damage in this area was primarily caused by 

 wave-induced erosion undermining piling-supported buildings and wave 

 damage to underhouse enclosures." 



"Dune erosion south of Avon was probably comparable to areas fur- 

 ther north, but most buildings were located well landward of the wave-in- 

 duced erosion," says Rogers. "With a few exceptions, most areas have dune 

 grasses remaining seaward of the buildings. Buildings were more likely to 

 be buried by overwash than undermined by wave-induced erosion." 



In recent months, North Carolina Sea Grant and Cooperative Exten- 

 sion have been helping coastal municipalities and property owners to 

 successfully restore dunes along the coast. 



Workshops focus on the dynamics of the beach — dune systems, for- 

 mation of dunes using native vegetation, and how to conserve and protect 

 the dune ecosystem. 



"Dunes are the first line of defense for homes, highways and other 

 infrastructure during hurricanes and other storms along the North Carolina 

 coast," says Nash. 'Mamtaining a healthy dune system is critical to the 

 overall health of our coastal communities." 



Before Isabel, Rogers and Nash provided dune expertise to a number 



of coastal towns, including Emerald Isle where town officials and citizens 

 planted 1,000 sea oats at the western and eastern access. 



"The western access was particularly in need of dune plantings," 

 says Alesia Sanderson, director of the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation 

 Department. "Now the dunes are more established and have more vegeta- 

 tion." 



Since Oak Island began its dune vegetation program in 1998, town 

 officials have planted more than one million dune plants. 



The plants — including sea oats, bitter panicum, seabeach amaranth 

 and seashore elders — are grown in the town's dune plant production 

 greenhouse. The plants and new sand pumped on the beach in 2001 for 

 the Sea Turtle Habitat Restoration Project and sand from the Wilmington 

 dredging project in 2002 have helped to restore Oak Island's beaches and 

 stabilize the dunes. 



"We started with 90,000 plantings in the dune house," says Russ 

 Morrison, a former Oak Island town employee. "We have had seven crops 

 since then." 



Every plant that was used in the turtle restoration project and other 

 sand projects since Hurricane Floyd was grown in the greenhouse, adds 

 Morrison. 



Nash helped the town set up the greenhouse and secure seeds. A float 

 germination system — similar to what is used for raising tobacco — was 

 established to raise sea oats and other dune-building beach plants. 



He praises the "town spirit" that spurred the innovative, cost-saving 

 and sand-saving plant program. "The beach is a public trust, the only right 

 thing to do is to preserve it," Nash adds. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 17 



