Study: North Carolina’s Outer Banks Risk Losing $2B to Rising Seas

With scientists expecting the seas to rise about 3 feet over the next 100 to 150 years, a new study from the National Park Service says the two national seashores on North Carolina’s Outer Banks risk losing buildings and other National Park Service assets worth more than $2 billion.

The News & Observer reports the national study, “Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Parks,” finds that low-lying seaside parks in the Southeast are the most susceptible to damage out of 40 National Park Service sites on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The study says property on Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores will likely be inundated or more vulnerable to damage from storms and flooding.

Park service officials say the study will help them decide how to respond to sea-level rise and climate change in the coming decades.

Topics Trends North Carolina