The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-05-31
HEARING
Continued from Page One)

of the Cape Hatteras National Sea-
shore Recreational Area, who told
of the National Park Services ex-
perience with hurricane measures
and plans for the future; B. w.
Davis, state highway engineer, who
supplied information on storm
damages to the highways; c..
C. Dpvall, chairan of the coun-
ty commissioners, who bought
out how erosion is constantly
eating away the shoreline along
the main land; M. L. Burrus
of Hatteras, who urged con-
sideration of deepening of the
inlets and building of sand dune
in order to prevent erosion along
the sound side of the Outer Banks,
particularly in areas subject to the
full force of the winds; and Melvin
Daniels, register of deeds and
chairman of the Red Cross disaster
committee.
Other Federal representatives
present were A. d. Hustled of Nor
folk, with the U. S. Weather Bu-
reau, and r. M. Daley of Raleigh.
with the Soil Conservation Serv-
ice.
General Edward F. Griffin, state
Civil Defense director, presented
facts and figures gathered by his
office and brought out the damage
suffered by agriculture, both by
the loss of crops and by salt water
intrusion of land. Col. Harry
Brown, director of hurricane re-
Mobilization for the state, gave as
suranee that Governor Hodges was
in full accord with the proposal for
a long-range planning program as
suggested by Mr.. Stick and his
committee.
In a summary of his committees
report, Mr.. Stick listed the fol-
lowing points on which emphasis
had been directed:
81. Severe hurricanes and other
storms have been striking the Out
err Banks regularly since the very
earliest days of exploration and
settlement.
"2. For almost two hundred
years, it has been thoroughly I'M
derstood that it was beyond the
means of local individuals and
communities to combat the ravages
caused by these upheavals of ma
ture, and the responsibility of the
government to provide major de-
fensive works has been recognized.
"3. Regularly, since the forna-
ton of the Federal Union, Con-
gress has provided funds for sur
veys, and even more extensive
funds for defensive works. design
ed to repair past hurricane damage
and to prevent damage from future
hurricanes.
"a. Despite past efforts, the Out
err Banks and adjacent areas are
as exposed to hurricane damage
today as they were when the first
project for hurricane contoi was
approved.
IS. The economy of this area is
now almost completely dependent
on the tourist industry, and the
bulk of the income from this source
must be realized during very
brief season, the peak of which
season, unfortunately, is also the
peak of the so-called hurricane sea-
son.
&c. From the standpoint of ply
steal damage to buildings, the bur
ricanes and storms of the past five
years have not had a major effect
on the Outer Banks area. Five
summer cottages were washed
away in the Kitty Hawk beach
area, and lesser damage was sus'
tanned by a large number of others.
A cursory examination, therefore
would lead to the impression that
the effects of these hurricanes and
other storms were not particularly
serious in this section. This, how
ever. is entirely erroneous, for the
fact is that none of the hurricanes
which have struck the eastern sea-
board during this period actually
hit the Outer Banks of Dare and
\ Currituck counties; yet the, very
Z fact that hurricanes approached
the area was the cause Of inesti-
mable economic loss, as shown in
this report.
az. The intangibles, when consid-
ering the effect of hurricanes, par
ticularly in an area dependent on
the tourist and travel business, are
far more important than the more
obvious and more easily-measured
visual results. The figures present
ed here show that in one small sec.
ton of the Outer Banks-the Dare
beaches of Mays Head. Kill Devil
Hills, and Kitty Hawk-in a sim
gle month in 1866, hurricane scares
caused more than one million dol
lars In loss of revenue to places OF
business; that a single hurricane,
bred high tide in 1856 destroyed
twenty thousand acres Of timber
land belonging to a single land