Buxton residents warn of ‘disaster zone’ as Dare County lays out debris‑removal policy and seeks long‑term fixes for Highway 12

Buxton residents told the Dare County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 that repeated erosion between Pea Island and Buxton has become a “disaster zone,” with dozens of houses lost and widespread yard debris stretching across neighborhoods.

"Highway 12 is our lifeline," said Christina Drum Boyd, a Hatteras Island property owner, urging the board to treat the road as critically important infrastructure and to push for permanent shoreline stabilizing measures. Boyd cited the county's 2013 shoreline management feasibility study and argued that semipermeable groins paired with monitored beach nourishment would be a more durable alternative to repeated emergency sand pushing.

Multiple Buxton residents described recent collapses that left refrigerators, building materials and household debris scattered onto private yards and roads. "It is a circus without a ringleader," said Betsy Gwen, who…