Coastal erosion along North Carolina’s Outer Banks is accelerating, with scientists warning that some areas are losing more than ten feet of shoreline each year.
For residents and frequent visitors, the changes are both hard to miss and a growing risk.
“First of all, there hasn’t been any beach to lay on,” said Sarabeth Rice, who has been vacationing in Buxton the past four years. “There hasn’t been any beach – it’s all sandbags.”
Researchers tell CBN News shifting sands and coastal erosion are causing big problems along the entire U.S. coast as the peak storm season approaches.
The Outer Banks is an iconic string of barrier islands known for their beauty and seclusion. As seasons change, the Atlantic can churn with greater energy, with winds often reaching hurricane strength. Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute and dean of Integrated Coastal Programs at East Carolina University, says that change is cutting into parts of the coastline at alarming rates.
“With the erosion taking place, with higher waters and storm waters… more rain… you’re seeing the collision of how climate is changing and impacts on the community,” Corbett said.
Corbett notes that average oceanfront erosion is measured in feet per year, but certain locations are losing ground much faster.
“The average erosion rate for the ocean isn’t that high – it’s two, three, five feet per year – but there’s these hot spots that are 10-15 feet per year,” Corbett pointed out.
The United States has more barrier islands than any nation, with more than 400 scattered among 30 coastal states (including the Great Lakes). Along the Mid-Atlantic coast alone, federal records show more than two thirds of the area is eroding.
In order to return to their beach condominium, Rice and her family were seen navigating a complex system of plumbing, electrical wiring, and sandbags attached to a rental property – that’s seemingly one strong storm away from falling into the ocean.
“This is our fourth year of vacationing on this island, and it’s never been this crazy – not sure we’re going to come back next year, unfortunately; we might look a little bit further up (North) just to see,” said Rice alongside her children.
In 2024 alone, the ocean washed away at least seven houses along the Outer Banks, leaving behind dangerous debris and pollution. The latest North Carolina Science Panel report projects sea level to rise at least a foot there by 2050, with high tide flooding expected to happen multiple times a year. For most coastal homes that rely on septic systems, that rise also means groundwater will push waste back up, creating a mess few are prepared to handle.
“It’s not easy to hear, but it’s a reality that we’re not going to be able to maintain the shoreline in every location,” Corbett said. “Another thing, as sea level rises – groundwater level tables are going to rise, and this is sort of a hidden problem… is dealing with wastewater,” Corbett said. “It’s not just the water table; at some point, you won’t be able to flush your toilet. That is a real issue!”
And it’s not just North Carolina feeling the squeeze. On the West Coast, California is losing parts of its iconic Highway 1 to crumbling cliffs, with some stretches retreating more than a foot a year. In the Great Lakes, record-high water levels and stronger storms have swallowed beaches and undercut bluffs, forcing communities in Michigan and Wisconsin to spend millions shoring up shorelines.
Scientists say these regions face the same combination of rising waters, severe weather, and human development that’s putting the Outer Banks at risk.
Coastal Erosion is responsible for approximately $500 million per year in coastal property loss, according to climate.gov. To mitigate this, communities up and down the coast spend millions each year to replenish beaches and build dunes that simply buy time. It is expensive and temporary. At the same rate, federal funding has been cut for key field research points like the Coastal Studies Institute. For communities built on shifting sand, the question is not whether the shoreline will change. It is how to learn to live with it, which makes these field offices so pivotal.
“I often get asked about predictions for the future,” Corbett explained. “‘Will the Outer Banks disappear? Sure. One day. Is it going to be in my lifetime, my kid’s lifetime – no. Is it going to change? Certainly.”
