Abstract:
After a thirty-year lull, residents of eastern North Carolina received a grim reminder of the power of a hurricane when Fran, a category 3 storm, came ashore on September 5, 1996, at Topsail Island and drove as far inland as Raleigh. The storm was part of a one-two punch; Hurricane Bertha had struck the area two months before in July. Fran left $5 billion in damages. Green examines changes that have taken place over the last ten years, including building code updates for ocean properties, beach recovery, and new coastal insurance options.