How Hurricane Florence impacted Cape Fear region beaches

On the north end of Carolina Beach, wooden staircases that once led from beach houses to the strand itself now give way to several feet of air, a result of Hurricane Florence’s battering waves eroding the beach.

“We ended up losing significant portions of the beach, 10- to 12-foot escarpments in some places,” said Michael Cramer, Carolina Beach’s town manager, speaking of the cliffs carved into sand that can make it difficult to get on or off the beach.

Carolina Beach isn’t alone, with officials up and down the region saying their beaches, the area’s most valuable tourism asset, have suffered significant damage. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been assessing local beaches to determine the storm’s impact and will discuss its findings at a Sunday press briefing.

In Pender County, Surf City Mayor Doug Medlin met with U.S. Representative David Rouzer on Saturday, giving him a tour of the area. The town, Medlin said, lost a significant amount of oceanfront beach, with sand that was once part of dunes being washed as far away as Second Street.

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