Beach erosion, North Carolina, 2011, caused by Hurricane Irene.

Oblique aerial photograph near Rodanthe, NC, along the coast on August 30, 2011, three days after landfall of Hurricane Irene. A breach was carved through the barrier island, severing NC Highway 12. The storm surge was approximately 2 m high on the sound-side and was less on the ocean-side. Flow from the sound to the ocean may have played a role in cutting the breaches between Oregon Inlet and Cape Hatteras.