Corps of Engineers face potentially eroded beaches and new shoals after Hurricane Florence

USACE Chief of Engineering Branch Greg Williams said most of his crew had evacuated to Raleigh or Charlotte ahead of the storm. As soon as it is safe for Williams and his team to mobilize back to the Wilmington area they would begin assessing damages — and working on solutions, he said.

When the USACE is able to return, Williams said they will do a survey and compare the results to a pre-storm survey taken to asses the amount of damage done to the beaches.

Despite making landfall as a Category-One hurricane, Florence has the potential to have caused more damage to the shoreline than a stronger and faster-moving storm.

“This storm will take a toll on dune system – it is conceivable that you can have worse damage from slow-moving category one than a faster-moving category three or four,” Williams said.

Another issue these storms cause is shoaling. When sands are washed back into the ocean they can create sandbars and shoals in usually navigable waters. Once it is safe for the USACE will send the operations division to access any new shoaling found and issue warnings to boaters.

“Big storms make big shoals,” Williams said.

As the rest of the state continues to be cut off from Wilmington and the surrounding beach towns, it will still be a few days before the extent of the damages is known. Stay tuned to Port City Daily for updates on the situation.

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