1. Hurricane Effects on the Outer Banks
Landform Change of Hurricane Isabel on Hatteras Island
North Carolina

2. The Outer Banks (OBX)
Barrier islands stretching from Virginia to North Carolina and includes most of North Carolina’s coastline.

3. Hatteras Island Barrier island in Outer Banks
Divides Atlantic Ocean & Pamlico Sound
85.56 squares miles
4,001 residents in 2000 census
Known for sport fishing, surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding
Many resorts and vacation rentals

4. Climate Temperate Mild but windy winters Cooler than inland summers
Prone to hurricanes

5. Hurricane Isabel Largest in 2003 season 51 total indirect deaths
Widespread wind and storm surge damage
NC landfall as Category 2 Hurricane
$170 million NC damages

6. Hatteras Island washout (USGS)

7. Project Objectives
Illustrate land cover changes on Hatteras Island before and after Isabel
Multiple class changes
Land to sea changes
Explore why certain areas are more prone to damage
Why was Hatteras Inlet made where it was?

8. Methodology Downloaded Landsat 5 imagery Unzip files
Load and stack bands in Erdas

9. Unsupervised 11 classes

10. Image clip

11. Import into Idrisi

12. Reclass

13. Cross Classification

14. Boolean

15. Boolean Cross Classification

16. DEM

17. Cross Classification Table

18. Area

19. Boolean Cross Classification Table

20. Boolean Area

21. Discussion
317 hectares of land lost to erosion/flooding

22. Hatteras Inlet and Flooding

23. Questions Asked Why did washout happen? Why did it happen here?
Why not further up or down shore?
What made this section so vulnerable?
Why did flooding occur where it did?

26. Conclusion Elevation and vegetation cover are very crucial factors
Important to predict and prepare areas of high risk
How will climate change and sea level rise influence?
Understand today -> Understand the future

27. Questions?