. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. How Hurricanes Reshape Beaches and Building Standards By Kathy Hart • Photographs by Spencer Rogers Six months ago, Hurricane Fran slammed ashore along North Carolina's southern coast. The tropical storm hurled high-velocity winds, pounding waves and floodwaters head- on at barrier islands that hadn't looked a powerful hurricane in the eye in more than 30 years. The immediate result was devastating: buildings destroyed or damaged; roadways washed away or buried by sand; electrical, phone and municipal serv
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. How Hurricanes Reshape Beaches and Building Standards By Kathy Hart • Photographs by Spencer Rogers Six months ago, Hurricane Fran slammed ashore along North Carolina's southern coast. The tropical storm hurled high-velocity winds, pounding waves and floodwaters head- on at barrier islands that hadn't looked a powerful hurricane in the eye in more than 30 years. The immediate result was devastating: buildings destroyed or damaged; roadways washed away or buried by sand; electrical, phone and municipal services disrupted; miles of beach sand and dunes sucked from the shoreline; and scores of items, from boats to family photo albums, swept away never to be seen again. The toll of Fran's fury was high: millions upon millions of dollars in damage and emotional scars that will last a lifetime. After a 30-year reprieve, the people of coastal and eastern North Carolina were given a firsthand lesson — one with a lasting impression — in hurricane dynamics. But what were the subtler messages delivered by Fran? As researchers assess the aftermath and recovery, they're taking a hard look at hurricane impacts on the Tar Heel coast. Hurricanes and Coastal Geology To the average vacationer or even full-time coastal resident, a beach is a beach. Its gritty sands slope from the base of the dune to the edge of the surf. In the summer, the slope is gentler and the beach wider. Winter storms mold a steeper, more narrow beach face. The dunes, topped with creeping vines and waving grasses, stand as tall stalwarts of the beach. It's all a pretty picture. But there's more to a beach than meets the eye. Geologists Stan Riggs of East Carolina University, Bill Cleary of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Steve Snyder of State University say beach Continued. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability
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