Oblique aerial photograph from Pea Island, NC, with enlarged details

Upper image: Oblique aerial photograph of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, NC, looking north along the coast on August 30, 2011, three days after landfall of Hurricane Irene. Center: Oblique aerial photos of the central part of upper image from May 6, 2008, pre-storm; and August 31, 2011, post-storm. The yellow arrow in each image points to the same cottage. At this location, two breaches were carved through the island, severing NC Highway 12. With the storm surge higher on the island's sound-side, currents flowing from sound to ocean may have contributed to creating these breaches.