Hazardous 6-foot cliff forms along Crystal Coast town in North Carolina, officials say
Beachgoers at one of North Carolina’s most popular Crystal Coast destinations will find themselves face first in the sand if they don’t watch their step.
The once gently sloping beach at Emerald Isle has become a dangerous 6-foot drop off, photos show.
Town officials fear the cliff may linger for weeks, if not longer.
“Over the past several weeks we have had several Winter storms roll through the area that had a significant amount of SE winds. ... Swells generated from SE winds have the most energy and are the most impactful,” the town wrote in a March 14 Facebook post.
“These events have lead to some pretty significant erosion escarpments along Bogue Banks beaches. Some of these escarpments are as much as 6 (feet) in Emerald Isle.”
The hazard will likely heal itself “once Spring weather patterns arrive,” town officials said.
“Sand usually remains in the nearshore system and SW winds have a tendency to roll the sand back up the beach. Hopefully this will be the case!” officials wrote. “We feel the odds that the sand will return with Spring are pretty high.”
Emerald Isle’s Shore Protection Office intends to do a survey in April that will map beaches, allowing town officials to have advance warning of changes in progress. They may consider other solutions if the change in weather doesn’t bring back the sand like expected.
“We will be working closely with our team of engineers to look at the data and identify any problem areas,” the town said.
The Crystal Coast “is an 85-mile stretch of beaches” that are just south of the Outer Banks. Many of the most popular destinations in the region are on barrier islands.
Emerald Isle is about a 145-mile drive southeast of Raleigh.
Teen dies when hole dug in Outer Banks sand dune collapses on him, national park says
Outer Banks town begs tourists to stop digging ‘extremely dangerous’ pits in NC beach
Castle emerges from sand dunes at park in NC’s Outer Banks. How did it get there?