The Town of Nags Head placed 4.6 million cubic yards of sand over 10 miles of beach in 2011. The project was interrupted by Hurricane Irene in August of 2011, and has since performed well. In fact, between November 2011 and June 2012, the project area gained ~525,000 cubic yards of sand. The project was tested again by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Though sand volume changes are not yet available, the project protected houses and infrastructure, and limited overwash of sand onto roadways. Nags Head appears to have weathered the storm much better than nearby communities like Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. This article by The Outer Banks Voice offers a brief summary of the impacts of the storm on the beach.
CSE has mobilized to Nags Head for a regularly scheduled survey of the beach. This survey will now also serve as a post-storm condition assessment to determine the impacts of the storm on the beach profile and project volume remaining.
A view of Jennette’s Pier on June 12, 2012.
