Hurricane Erin buries Outer Banks motel in sand, cuts off main road

BUXTON, N.C. (WNCN) — Cleanup is underway after Hurricane Erin tore through the Hatteras Islands on Thursday.

Among those cleaning up are 60-year-old Billy Dillon, the owner of the Outer Banks Motel in Buxton. He estimates he has weathered more than 30 storms since the 1980s, but admits this one took him by surprise. After Erin, much of his property is buried in sand and water.

“It’s still not the worst, but I underestimated it somewhat,” he said. “The waves got a lot bigger than we anticipated.”

Parts of N.C. Highway 12 also remain closed after storm surge washed over the road in multiple spots, cutting off access. According Dillon, it could be a day or two before it reopens.

“They cut the water off,” he said. “We don’t have any water here because the damage is so bad. Down the road from us, we got telephone poles down and they’ve condemned a lot of houses down there. It’s really bad down what we call Old Lighthouse Road.”

Dillon also said Erin’s timing couldn’t be worse. The storm hit in the middle of peak tourist season, leaving Dillon with tens of thousands of dollars in damage and lost business.

“The insurance adjuster comes Sunday,” he said. We’re hoping to reopen by Labor Day. 

The hurricane forces split the parking lot concrete in pieces, but according to Dillon, the sandbags helped lessen the overall damage.

“The sandbags down there might have been a savior,” he said. “If we had not done those sandbags this spring, it would have been a lot worse because they’re not only protecting our parking lot here. They’re actually protecting the pilings on the buildings itself, stabilizing them.”

Although he and his neighbors are facing a long cleanup, Dillon said his they will bounce back like they always do.

“The locals here are used to it,” he said. “It’s a way of life here. You take what Mother Nature gives you. There’s nothing you can do about it.”