Dare County launches drone map to track erosion threatening Outer Banks homes

DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A new interactive drone map will show how Hatteras Island’s shoreline has eroded over time.

Dare County GIS said the project will continuously record coastal erosion in Buxton and Rodanthe so officials can make informed decisions.

With the new map, users can select two different dates of drone images and compare them side by side by swiping left and right on the screen.

“The situations in Buxton and Rodanthe are very dynamic, so we wanted to have the most up-to-date information available about the current state of the oceanfront,” stated Dare County GIS Analyst Kristen Stilson.

Over the past month, four beachfront homes collapsed in the Outer Banks after a winter storm swept through eastern North Carolina.

A total of 16 unoccupied homes fell into the ocean last year, according to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.