Buxton Beach cleanup planned for August 30 to tackle storm damage

In the aftermath of Hurricane Erin, which flooded roadways, damaged properties, and forced extended closures along N.C. Highway 12, the Buxton Civic Association (BCA) is rallying the community for a large-scale cleanup effort this weekend.

The event will take place on Saturday, August 30, at 10 a.m., with volunteers meeting at the Yaupon Inn on Old Lighthouse Road in Buxton to check in, collect assignments, and join forces to clear debris from one of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

“We’re asking anyone who has the time and ability to come lend a hand,” the Buxton Civic Association said in a statement. “Our goal is to get the neighborhood put back in the best order we can provide for the residents, and coming visitors, in the wake of Hurricane Erin’s extreme ocean overwash event.”

Volunteers are encouraged to bring boots, gloves, rakes, and even saws or chainsaws to help haul debris and clear right-of-ways and ditches along Old Lighthouse Road and its side streets.

While county officials have deemed oceanfront structures unsafe and off-limits for cleanup, Dare County has supplied four dumpsters on Old Lighthouse Road specifically for construction debris only. Metals and yard waste will not be accepted in these dumpsters, but BCA organizers say alternate disposal methods will be available for those materials during the event.

The cleanup effort has received additional support from local organizations and businesses, including Atlantic OBX, which is providing portable toilets for volunteers, and the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, which is helping coordinate assistance. Free bottled water will be available at the check-in station, and parking will be offered at the old Lighthouse Service Center, with overflow available at the nearby skate park and Mrs. Dillon’s lot.

The storm’s impact has been widespread. Large-scale ocean overwash from Hurricane Erin was reported across the Outer Banks last week, with portions of N.C. Highway 12 between Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Village closed for several days due to damage and flooding.

Despite the storm’s destruction, the Buxton Civic Association hopes Saturday’s effort will not only restore the north Buxton shoreline but also provide a show of resilience after the storm.

“We hope to see you Saturday, as we gather together as a community to clean up our town and help our fellow islanders,” the association said.