top of page



Should people swim or play near the ocean outfalls?
Ocean outfall pipes on the Outer Banks have been found to have high concentrations of bacterial contamination during and after storm events.

Lizzie Stoner
3 days ago5 min read


The rise, fall and future of wind power on the Outer Banks
In the last 15 years, five high-profile wind turbines on the Outer Banks have been installed and subsequently destroyed or deconstructed.

Lizzie Stoner
Oct 299 min read


Wednesday is Dare County’s deadline for FEMA house acquisition or elevation applications. Interest survey remains available for future grants
Dare County has a Wednesday deadline for homeowners to apply for a federal grant program that would potentially purchase threatened homes or raise homes in several years. Interested homeowners can fill out an ongoing county survey to be contacted about future grant opportunities.

Corinne Saunders
Oct 145 min read


9 Hatteras Island houses collapsed last week, officials and residents concerned over potential for more this weekend, Dare County increases storm fund by $5 million
Nine unoccupied oceanfront houses on Hatteras Island collapsed last week, and officials and residents expressed concern over this week’s forecast bringing the potential for more destruction. Dare County increased its storm fund as a precaution.

Corinne Saunders
Oct 710 min read


Proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge receives two required state permits
State agencies have issued two permits for the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge project.

Staff Reports
Sep 193 min read


Salt buildup causes Kitty Hawk power pole fire, outages Monday
Nearly 4,000 northern Outer Banks customers lost power on Monday morning as salt buildup—in one case, causing a power pole to catch fire—caused mostly short outages, according to a Dominion Energy spokesperson.

Corinne Saunders
Sep 165 min read


All 3 area-specific Hurricane Erin mandatory evacuations lifted as most of Outer Banks sees minimal damage
All three area-specific mandatory evacuations for Hurricane Erin were lifted over the weekend. Some hazards, especially in Buxton, remain.

Corinne Saunders
Aug 238 min read


Tropical storm and storm surge warnings in place for all of OBX, evacuation order issued for four-wheel drive area north of Corolla
Sections of Hatteras Island began experiencing overwash from still-distant Hurricane Erin on Tuesday, and all of the Outer Banks is under a tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning.

Corinne Saunders
Aug 204 min read


Major Hurricane Erin expected to bring serious threats of flooding and erosion to Outer Banks
Dare and Hyde counties each issued a state of emergency declaration Sunday evening and mandatory evacuation orders for Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island as potentially dangerous conditions from Hurricane Erin are expected to begin Tuesday.

Corinne Saunders
Aug 184 min read


Three people contracted Vibrio infections in July from wound exposure to sound water on the Outer Banks. A look at recent Vibrio trends and a scientist’s plan of study
Three people across the Outer Banks contracted Vibrio infections from open wound exposures to sound water in July, including two people who were hospitalized, according to area health officials.

Corinne Saunders
Aug 136 min read


The Rapid Rise and Fall of N.C.’s Proposed Shrimp Trawl Ban
Last-minute changes made to legislation in the state Senate in June would have banned all shrimp trawling in the state’s inshore waters and within a half-mile of the shoreline for four years. After a hastily organized lobbying campaign from shrimpers and their allies, the legislature put the trawling ban on ice—for now.

Corinne Saunders
Aug 615 min read


What caused parts of the ocean along the Outer Banks to appear yellowish?
Outer Banks beachgoers from South Nags Head to Corolla reported sections of the Atlantic Ocean appearing neon greenish to yellow-hued over a span of several days in late June.

Corinne Saunders
Jul 13 min read


All 5 formerly suspended Dare County dredging permits now reinstated, county contracts with Wilmington agency for permit compliance
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson confirmed to Outer Banks Insider that all five of Dare County’s formerly suspended dredging permits have been reinstated.

Corinne Saunders
Jun 276 min read


CURB APPEAL
Hatteras Plawkers clean up trash from the roadside on Hatteras Island once a week from April through November.

Corinne Saunders
Apr 214 min read


Dead juvenile humpback whale in Corolla had broken bones suggesting ‘blunt force trauma’
A dead juvenile female humpback whale that washed up in Corolla was discovered to have broken bones suggesting the whale suffered “blunt force trauma,” a necropsy performed Friday found.

Corinne Saunders
Apr 143 min read


FUDS Restoration Advisory Board’s first meeting: Appreciation for work done, concerns over remaining contamination
The Buxton FUDS Restoration Advisory Board, during the first of what will be quarterly meetings, expressed appreciation for the work done so far at the site and hopes that remaining contamination will be addressed.

Corinne Saunders
Apr 114 min read


Buxton FUDS’ Restoration Advisory Board members selected, first meeting next Thursday
Eleven people were selected to the Restoration Advisory Board for the Buxton Naval Facility FUDS. The first meeting is Thursday, April 10.

Corinne Saunders
Apr 34 min read


‘We’re still getting calls’ to ‘reports have decreased’: Situation of raccoons with suspected canine distemper varies by agency on OBX
Reports of sick raccoons around the Outer Banks began last summer. Current complaints of the deadly canine distemper virus vary by agency.

Corinne Saunders
Feb 267 min read


Dare County releases informational video on Rodanthe house collapses
Dare County released an informational video about the oceanfront house collapses in the Village of Rodanthe in recent years.

Staff Reports
Jan 282 min read


Dead dwarf sperm whale washes up in Carova
A dead adult male dwarf sperm whale washed up on the beach in Carova in a state of “advanced decomposition” on Friday, Jan. 24.

Corinne Saunders
Jan 273 min read
bottom of page