Sunday, October 02, 2011

Across the Midway Inlet to Litchfield Beach


I find it fairly amazing how many of the Atlantic barrier islands are lined with homes.  Yes, it's a fantastic place to spend a week, year, or a lifetime, but these places are dynamic. Sand moves.  I can't complain though- We did rent a barrier island home for a week.  Yes, the cottage was probably 80-100 years old and had survived many hurricanes over the years, but that's just a wink in the history of our world.

Our weekend was busy and kid-filled!  My DSLR didn't even come out of the bag- but I'll have more images of Ohio's progression towards the peak of fall this week.

-Tom

7 comments:

  1. I totally agree. The Outer Banks of NC are my favorite place for a vacation but I know that there should be no homes on those barrier islands. they are moving quickly.
    nellie

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  2. One could also wonder why Midwesterners continue to build entire cities in river floodplains....with 100 year floods now occuring about every 18 months.

    There are a slew of great books about entire towns that have been abandoned on Atlantic barrier islands since the early 1900s. Some towns and states are getting the message quicker than others. A close satellite look at Sandbridge, VA, Cedar Island, VA, Rodanthe, NC and other towns show that oceanfront lots are slowly being abandoned as the cost of replacement/insurance becomes impossible to bear.

    Also hidden in the mix is that oceanfront communities are taxed to the hilt by their respective counties (property tax for one of these homes is typically in the $5000-$15,000/year range), and so the counties are only so eager to see them pulled back across the dunes where they really should be. Nice conflict of interest!

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  3. You've got it right, Tom: visit for a while, but don't build on shifting sand. The ideal solution, of course, would be to prohibit anyone from building on a barrier island and restricting housing to the mainland, with day use on the islands only. They'd be so much more attractive.

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  4. Thanks everyone for the comments. I get killed on my property taxes, and I don't live near an ocean... They were over 5,000 when I last looked...that's too much. I'll take a look at those towns that you mentioned River Mud- It's interesting to know that some communities have come to their senses and abandoned the islands. And yes, us midwesterners shouldn't be allowed to build in the 100 year floodplains. Local communities are starting to create setbacks from streams- progress, but not enough.

    Scott- Yep. I once had someone suggest to me that the shoreline of Lake Erie should be bought back by the state- for a mile back away from the Lake. What a great idea- but I seriously thought he was crazy to even put this to a state employee (me). The thoughts here are my own, by the way.

    -Tom

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  5. fyi I did my natural resources policy class project on the Federal Flood Insurance act which proposed to disallow any new building w/in X yards of a water body (river, ocean), only allow truly mobile buildings within X yards of same, etc. There's a REASON only the us gov't provides flood insurance. Insurance companies know they will lose $$ on it.

    Anyhow, it was a well thought out piece of legislation, great idea, would a huge amount of $$ and increase public safety, and it DID NOT PASS thanks to the representative (can't remember whom) in Louisiana, among other flood-prone, unsustainably built states.

    Grrrr.....

    So frustrating. SUCH predictable losses and preventable "tragedy." I only use quotes, 'cause it's totally avoidable, and is repeated over and over. And the fed. gov't pays for it.

    That said, Outer Banks IS cool (best scallops of my life) and I agree with Scott re: improved aesthetics as well as safety, etc.

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  6. It does look like a great place to visit...but not live! With the crazy weather patterns we have these days, is anywhere safe? The water last spring was terrible, even when you weren't in a flood plain.

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  7. biobabbler- All very interesting. I'm still a little miffed that the government offers flood insurance at all. You're frustration comes through clearly.

    Mary- I'm not sure we're talking about the safety of the people living in these places but in the silliness of building a home where where we know water has been before and where it will be again. There's no safe place, for sure.

    -Tom

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