Wrightsville Beach scarred with sand cliffs; access points remained closed

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY-TV) — Though this weekend’s storm has moved away from the Cape Fear region, its mark remains at Wrightsville Beach with three to six feet escarpments and sand cliffs left behind.

Ocean rescue director Sam Profitt said visitors should stay out of the water for the time being.

“It’s still pretty dangerous out there,” Profitt said. “We still have an increased swell coming in, it’s very strong onshore with heavy rip current activity.”

The weekend storms forced the closure of several access points. Town officials hope to reopen them later this week after crews smooth over escarpments and create ramps down to the water.

“Very important, don’t be digging into the escarpment because it can collapse and bury somebody,” Profitt said. “So be very careful around those edges or escarpments.”

In the long-term, the town said it’s a waiting game until the next beach nourishment project. Macon Worth is a regular Wrightsville Beach visitor, he said he’s noticed a major change.

“This sort of stuff happens with increasing regularity now,” Worth said. “It seems to be it would take three or four years to wash away this much sand.

“Worth said though it’s tough seeing how the beach has fared, it could be worse.

“Look on the bright side, we’re still here,” Worth said. “Most of the dune is still here, we just basically lost a lot of that sand that we pumped in here.”

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