Like a Hurricane

Low tide on the beach at Corolla, NC (photo © P. Mallette)

"If we had a Katrina-sized storm, 75 percent of these islands could be gone," says Stan Riggs, a geologist at East Carolina University who has studied the Outer Banks for four decades. "You can count on it cleaning the clock."

A series of stories on hurricane hazards appeared on the news wires recently. Interesting reading, though these stories hardly qualify as "news" to ECU geology alums who cut their teeth on this stuff, or to the current faculty and students who continue the tradition of trying to educate the public on the folly of building mega-dollar homes on mobile ribbons of sand.

Stan Riggs is quoted in the story by AP writer Mike Baker - "THE OUTER BANKS: '75 percent of these islands could be gone'". Scroll down ... you'll find it toward the bottom of the page.

[Edit: The link to the story was corrected on 1-June. --Pat]