Beachfront erosion

Figure 16. During a period with few hurricanes, this house was built on a broad beach. (Photograph by the author. More about the photograph)

Figure 16 shows another example of beachfront erosion. This house has fallen victim to a repositioning of Bogue Inlet as a result of Hurricanes Bonnie and Fran in 1996. The inlet between Bear Island and Bogue Bank had once been located here, but during a 20-year period with few hurricanes, the inlet migrated towards Bear Island, leaving this area of Bogue Banks with a wide beach and even a modest dunefield. That new beachfront property was too great a temptation for someone and this house was built. As you can see, the inlet has come back to reclaim its earlier location, and the house is about to be claimed as well. At the time of this writing, the house was condemned. How long it will last is not clear.

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