Understanding Why the Outer Banks Are So Prone to Storm Damage

The Outer Banks of North Carolina were hit particularly hard by Hurricane Erin's impacts last week, despite the storm remaining a few hundred miles off the shoreline. Why does this part of the U.S. take the brunt of so many tropical weather events? Here is what the experts say about the vulnerability of the Outer Banks.

How the Location of the Outer Banks Makes It Susceptible to Tropical Weather Damage

The Outer Banks is the term used to describe the thin strip of islands on the easternmost edge of North Carolina. This line of islands sustains direct strikes from tropical weather and nor'easters nearly every year. Local officials note that some areas of the region have lost hundreds of feet of beachfront since 1980.

More worrisome is the fact that over a dozen homes have simply collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean over the last five years at the hands of Mother Nature. Millions of dollars have been spent rebuilding and maintaining Highway 12, the primary thoroughfare through the islands.

Due to its location jutting out from the mainland of the U.S., tropical weather events do not even need to make a direct hit on the Outer Banks to cause significant damage. For instance, while 2015's Hurricane Joaquin remained over 500 miles to the east of Hatteras, North Carolina, the high waves and the surge associated with Joaquin generated about $2.3 million in economic losses.