Tropical Storm Ida stalled off the coast of North Carolina from November 12-15, 2009, wreaking havoc on the oceanfront communities of the Outer Banks. The southern beaches of Hatteras Island were hardest hit, with the worst damage occurring in the village of Rodanthe, made famous by the film Nights In Rodanthe, starring Richard Gere. However, even before Gere and company put Rodanthe on the map, its S-Turns Beach was famous with surfers.

S-Turns takes its name from the the highway that fronts the beach, U.S. Rt. 12, which curves in an “S” shape at this particular point in the road. Surfers have long been congregating here for the perfect waves that form just offshore, and spectators are usually on hand by the score to watch surfers work their magic. Over the years, S-Turns has been slightly damaged by the occasional storm, but when this Nor’easter rolled in, huge waves not only stripped away the beach, they overwashed the road and tore out a stretch of pavement. With access between the main northern beaches and Hatteras Island cut off, the State of North Carolina quickly arranged for a ferry to carry cars and passengers around the breach on the calmer Sound side of the barrier island and immediately began rebuilding the highway and the barrier dune between the road and the ocean. However, the  beach was severely eroded and may never be replenished, since the Federal government no longer authorizes funds for beach nourishment and the Outer Banks municipalities have no funds for such projects.

The house used in the filming of Nights In Rodanthe is still standing, although there is no beach whatsoever in front of it and the ocean is washing under the house. The County has declared the house a danger and put the owners on notice that they must have the house torn down. The above video from the Virginian Pilot shows both aerial and ground footage of the storm surge and many other videos documenting the damage are available on YouTube. For the moment, surfers and beachgoers are holding their collective breaths in hopes that S-Turns Beach is not beyond repair.

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels