Nor’easter batters Cape Fear towns along the Atlantic Ocean

CAPE FEAR, NC (WWAY) — A nor’easter has hit many coastal towns in the Cape Fear area, from up in Topsail Beach all the way down to Wrightsville Beach.

Sandbags were no match for the waves pounding and washing up onto oceanfront porches in North Topsail Beach.

Water built up underneath homes and crept its way onto roadways.

Topsail Beach resident Jeff Wells said history is repeating itself as the area takes another assault from the nor’easter.

“The erosion’s gotten so close, I mean these buildings are starting to get unstable, it’s scary I mean, these communities do the best they can to protect it,” Wells said. “It’s very scary, it’s very scary.”

Wells claims the residents have paid for sandbags to protect the 200-unit complex.

In a statement to WWAY, the Topsail Reef Homeowner’s Association said the complex is structurally sound and not a risk of failure or destruction from recent storms.

“Over the years, we have proactively commissioned multiple engineering assessments to evaluate and maintain the integrity of our buildings. A comprehensive study conducted in 2018 confirmed the structural stability of the complex and outlined a series of maintenance recommendations, all of which have been diligently implemented. Furthermore, since 2022, the current Board has taken additional protective measures—including the installation of a sandbag wall at significant financial investment—to safeguard our property from direct ocean impact. These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to the long-term care and preservation of the Topsail Reef community.”

A similar pursuit just south of there earlier last week, as residents received an exemption to hire their own bulldozer to beef up a washed-out walkway.

But Well said, the area needs a terminal groin to stop the onslaught from the sea, but it’s caught up in red tape.

“It’s not a major tropical storm, it’s not a hurricane, like I said, I mean imagine if it was a category 2 or 3, forget a category 4, it would be devastating, I mean most of these complexes would be washed away.”

Further down the coast, hazardous conditions led to the closure of several beach access points at Wrightsville Beach.

The closed access points include #9, 10 and 22-28 due to escarpments, or large cliffs of sand caused by erosion.