Power, water cut to 4 homes due to erosion at Oak Island

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — Several homes on the edge of the ocean at Oak Island are due to get larger sand bags to help with erosion, but town officials say that might be too little too late.

Town Manager Steve Foster said the power and water were cut off to four homes in the 6600 block of West Beach Road Monday morning. A fifth home was also blocked off, but the decision to cut the power is still up in the air. No one was in the homes at the time, and the property owners were notified.

The homeowners in the four homes were recently granted a variance by the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission on November 19 to put in super-sized sand bags along the beach to prevent further erosion. Officials confirm a permit was issued for those bags on November 21 by the Division of Coastal Management. There’s no word on when the super-sized sand bags would be placed on the beach for these homes; the homeowners are responsible for the purchase the bags. A contractor then brings the bags and places them on the beach for the homeowners.

Neighbor Todd Surratt says in the 15 years he’s been here, he’s never seen anything like this.

“West beach is known to hold its sand and to be very stable and this is very unusual,” Surratt said.

Foster said the town has a beach renourishment project set for February and until then, they’re going to work with the homeowners to save the house. Officials are concerned that the homes could go before then.

“Well yeah that’s a concern, but we’re going to work with the owners any way we can to see what we can do with that,” Foster said.

Surratt thinks there is still hope for these homes.

“Be patient. When they renourished the beach back in 2000, it’s still there and they still have about 75 foot of sand and it’s holding very well,” Surratt said.