Posted on November 5, 2025
Two Hatteras Island residents representing the Buxton Civic Association (BCA) traveled to Raleigh on Tuesday to elevate the worsening erosion situation on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands directly to North Carolina’s top elected leaders.
BCA founder and Co-vice President Brian Harris and community advocate Jayson Collier attended the monthly Council of State meeting at the N.C. Capitol, where they spoke with North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, Governor Josh Stein, and other members of the ten-person council in an effort to secure statewide support for long-term solutions in Buxton and other vulnerable stretches of the Outer Banks.
The meeting provided a rare opportunity for local voices to brief senior state officials face-to-face on the recent issues of repeated flooding events, home collapses, and temporary closures of N.C. Highway 12
“Thank you to Commissioner Causey, Mary Grace Orr, and Governor Stein for their time today at the Council of State,” said Harris on Tuesday afternoon. “It was refreshing to see a bipartisan group working together. Hatteras and Ocracoke are absolute treasures of North Carolina, and an area that needs to be protected and preserved for future generations. I’m sure everyone’s seen the catastrophic impacts of a collapsing shoreline from the remnants of an old Naval Base [but] there’s a lot more to the situation than just collapsing homes.”
Harris said showing up in person was critical. “It couldn’t have gone better. Emails don’t get it done. Facebook doesn’t get it done. The in-person meetings are what get the ball rolling.”
The North Carolina Council of State consists of the governor and nine statewide elected executive officials, including the attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state, and insurance commissioner.
The council meets monthly and oversees statewide administration and policy issues, including matters tied to emergency response, state funding, and risk management. While it does not directly authorize coastal projects, its members influence statewide support, regulation, and long-term planning for communities facing critical infrastructure threats.
Coastal erosion along Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands has noticeably intensified since mid-September. Sixteen oceanfront homes have collapsed — fifteen in Buxton and one in Rodanthe — marking the most concentrated wave of structural failures in recent history. The collapses have scattered debris across the Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches and private property, triggered repeated environmental hazards, and strained cleanup resources.
At the same time, N.C. Highway 12 has faced multiple temporary closures on northern Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island due to ocean overwash during fall storms, cutting off the islands’ transportation route and leaving residents, visitors, and emergency personnel stranded.
Local residents have warned that the current situation reflects a tipping point, fueled by decades of shoreline retreat, increasingly frequent coastal storms, and deteriorating infrastructure — namely the three jetties once used for the former U.S. Navy facility in Buxton.
Community advocates say a more active statewide response is needed to stabilize the shoreline, protect property, support homeowners, and preserve transportation access for year-round residents, visitors, and essential services.
A beach nourishment project for Buxton, along with repairs to the southernmost jetty, is currently planned for the summer of 2026, but local leaders say additional support and investment will be necessary to bridge the gap between now and long-term stabilization.
Tuesday’s visit to Raleigh also mirrors recent comments from Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard, who said at Monday’s board meeting that the county will formally press state lawmakers to fund North Carolina’s long-promised statewide beach nourishment program and eliminate the current ban on hardened structures such as groins and jetties.
Woodard emphasized that this request will be delivered to every member of the General Assembly, underscoring the coordinated push from Dare County and local communities for stronger coastal protection tools and long-term financial support.
The Buxton Civic Association will hold its monthly community meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Old Buxton Volunteer Fire Station next to Burrus Field, where updates on the ongoing emergency and coordination efforts are expected. Harris said Tuesday’s visit to Raleigh was part of a larger push to ensure Hatteras Island’s crisis remains visible at the highest levels of state government.
“These conversations matter,” he said. “This is about protecting a community, a coastline, and a way of life — and we’re going to keep showing up.”
Harris (left) and Collier (right) in Raleigh
N.C. Highway 12 on Pea Island on Sunday, Oct. 14. NCDOT image.
Buxton on Saturday morning, Nov. 1. Photo by Don Bowers.
