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Initial assessments are still being compiled, but the first wave of data and aerial photographic comparisons indicate wide restored beaches combined with a health dune system stood up to the prolonged pounding of Florence\u2019s waves and surge. This protection not only spared upland properties from catastrophic damages, but enabled coastal communities to recover more quickly and re-open for returning residents sooner.<\/p>\n
This outcome is something that scientists, engineers, and policymakers have been championing since Superstorm Sandy in 2012 showed firsthand the value of wide beaches and healthy dune systems in reducing storm surge and wave damage.<\/p>\n
On-the-ground observations<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFlorence becomes the storm of record (twice) for high water level at the Beaufort tide gage \u2013 an unprecedented \u2018one-two\u2019 punch to Carteret County<\/strong>,\u201d according to Greg Rudolph, Shoreline Protection Manager for Carteret County, NC. \u201cThe infusion of sand via beach nourishment and subsequent development of incipient, or \u2018baby\u2019 dunes since Hurricane Floyd in 1999 protected some 23 miles of homes, hotels, public accesses and infrastructure for the storm of record. There was no flood damage to oceanfront structures, nor any breaches of the frontal dune. Structural damage was limited to walkways only.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur preliminary assessment is that our federal coastal storm damage reduction projects at Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach did what they were supposed to do,\u201d said Layton Bledsoe, New Hanover County\u2019s<\/strong> (NC) Shoreline Protection manager. \u201cIt appears that very minimal damage was caused by ocean overwash to our small businesses, infrastructure and homes, and this is directly attributed to wide beaches and high dunes constructed and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile Hurricane Florence did damage to our coastal communities, it could have been so much worse,\u201d said Woody White, chair of the New Hanover County Commission. \u201cThanks to the consistent funding and focus on storm damage reduction efforts, both people and property were saved. This forward-thinking approach preserves lives and it preserves our tax base, which allows us to meet our other core governmental functions. In each storm, we learn more and more about what to do to make those protections even better in the future, and I know that had we not implemented storm reduction policies in years past, our damages today would be catastrophic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe projects we have built in Dare County<\/strong> did what they were supposed to do,\u201d according to Bobby Outten, County Manager of Dare County, NC. \u201cThey reduced the amount of flooding and damage that would have occurred had these projects not been in existence. Though not impacted by the worst of Florence, the 3-4 days of high surf and large waves would have resulted in extensive flooding and damages to public and private development had these locally funded projects not been built and maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBased on what we\u2019ve seen, the projects constructed by Dare County and the Towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills performed as designed,\u201d noted Ken Willson, a program manager for APTIM, the firm responsible for much of the restoration project design along the North Carolina coast. \u201cIn years past, the conditions created by Florence would have likely resulted in considerable flooding in Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, washed out of the road around Kitty Hawk Road and Highway 12 in Kitty Hawk, and caused extensive beach access damage along the towns. We are happy to report that almost none of that occurred during Florence, which is a testament to the damage reduction provided by these projects,\u201d Willson continued. \u201cFurthermore, detailed analysis of how the projects performed in these conditions allow our engineers to improve future design of projects.\u201d<\/p>\n In the wake of Florence, there will be a push by impacted communities for help in restoring their shorelines to their full protective profile in advance of the winter nor\u2019easters and prior to the start of next year\u2019s Atlantic hurricane season on June 1. State and federal officials will need to respond rapidly to this call for restoration, since mobilization of any such projects takes significant time and coordination, and the window for opportunity for restorative construction along this stretch of Atlantic coastline is often limited.<\/p>\n While the success of the Carolinas\u2019 coastline in standing up to Florence is the story today, looking ahead at similar storm scenarios in years to come underscores the need for a post-storm recovery and restoration plan that allows coastal communities to rely on state and federal partners to step up swiftly following a storm\u2019s landfall. Florence and similar catastrophic rain events in recent years also points out the need to build resilience throughout the watershed, to recognize that storms such as these are becoming more than coastal catastrophes bringing damaging impacts far inland and for far more days in duration.<\/p>\n The goal needs to be developing a response system starting at the federal level that enhances resilience and reduces risk, to aid local communities in reducing damages and accelerating recovery in a systemic and reliable response.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/live-cs-engineer-magazine.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Floyd.vFlor-235.jpg\")