Hello everyone and welcome to our new blog series. Each week, we hope to provide you with a first-hand account of the happenings in Topsail Beach and Surf City, NC. We visited the south end of Topsail Beach on October 4th, to assess the effects of Hurricane Florence. In the coming weeks, we will report on our findings of the north end of Topsail Beach as well as Surf City.
The purpose of this series is to show the progress being made each and every day by the amazing residents and businesses. While there is certainly a lot of work to be done, we hope to share the passion we have in revitalizing Topsail and hope this journey entices you into wanting to visit.
First, let us begin by saying that the resilience and community support has been beyond astounding. In less than three weeks time, we’ve seen overwhelming support and a determination to restoring our coastline and bringing the beach back to life. Some shops and restaurants have reopened, ready to welcome y’all in for a bite at the Beach Shop and Grill or how about a great cup of joe over at Quarter Moon.
Each day, more signs of normalcy return to the beauty that is the island. We hope those reading this will continue to support our community by visiting when authorities allow it.
The Jolly Roger Pier is one tough pier. Taking some hits and bruises from Florence, the pier remains intact. Fishermen and women were out basking in the sun while casting lines throughout the day.
The beach assessment from the pier was surprising. Flotsam seemed minimal on the south end and you could walk the entire beach with little obstruction. While walking along the ocean, there are still areas of strong dune presence. The restoration of these dunes will continue to prove vital moving forward. We hope the next time you visit, you will look at the dunes in a stronger light.
Traveling the backside of the island, the sound looked to be in good shape. Some docks certainly had damage however there will quite a few in great condition. The natural preserves are not only a uniquely beautiful feature of Topsail but it may have contributed to lessening damages.
The re-opening of the beaches to the public still remains in the air. While the mayor recently made public comments of a possible 120 day ban, many long-time residents and business owners strive for a shorter window.
Update: Last night (Oct 5) around 6:00 pm they announced North Topsail Beach will allow residents and visitors back to the beach… However, all beach access are closed and town parks and they said its “at your own risk” to go to the beach. We will continue to monitor all updates so be sure to look for our updates on social media.
In fact, it was recently announced just days prior that the Autumn With Topsail Festival will go on as scheduled.
We will keep you posted on any and all official updates.
We can’t end our first blog series contribution with a “keep out” sign, so here is a beautiful photo of the beach. Can you hear it calling your name?
Stay tuned for our latest assessment next week!