WELCOME TO THE
On September 6, 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall over Cape Hatteras, NC, as a Category 1 storm. With high speed winds and severe flooding, the effects of Hurricane Dorian were felt by residents across coastal Carolina. To many homeowners returning after the storm dissipated, it felt like a déjà vu of devastation experienced a year before when Hurricane Florence made landfall over Wrightsville Beach, resulting in major flooding and destruction in the surrounding areas.
As major storm events like these become more frequent and intense, coastal residents in North Carolina are investing in ways to protect their properties from damage, including prevention of widespread land loss/erosion as a result of the storms. While multiple options exist to manage erosion, residents tend to opt for a gray, hardened shoreline approach, such as seawalls and bulkheads. However, recently researchers are investigating greener approaches to managing erosion, including the use of living shorelines, which not only have the potential to provide erosion protection, but have a suite of benefits for rebuilding ecosystems. Despite this, widespread implementation of living shorelines is limited, partially due to the lack of research comparing the various shoreline protection options and their broader impacts. In order to address this, our Research Team at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, are undertaking a study seeking to better understand how people and habitats are impacted based on different types of shoreline management strategies. The study combines science from multiple disciplines, through geospatial, emerging low-cost remote sensing and aerial mapping technologies, waterfront homeowner surveys and citizen science, to directly inform future coastal management projects and serve as a mechanism educate homeowners on shoreline conservation and management strategies. As part of the study, our research team has developed an online survey related to people’s experiences during Hurricane Dorian while living on the coast in North Carolina. Coastal residents in New Hanover, Carteret, and Dare County received postcards in the mail inviting them to participate in the study. If you are a resident in one of these counties and would like to participate, please follow the link here to the survey: https://tinyurl.com/NCCoastalSurvey2020 Enter your unique QR code listed on your postcard, and complete the survey questions. We are trying to reach as many individuals in the coastal North Carolina area as possible, and appreciate everyone’s input on the matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us via our email [email protected] . Comments are closed.
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