'We ride it out': Rodanthe residents explain decision defy Hurricane Erin evacuation orders

Coastal flooding and ocean overwash are likely to peak on Wednesday and Thursday in Dare County due to Hurricane Erin.

Some people in the town of Rodanthe have chosen to ignore the evacuation order for Hatteras Island.

Photos taken Wednesday morning in Buxton show waves breaching sandbags just after high tide. The sandbags are in place to protect the homes close enough to the water. High tide is expected around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Drone footage from Outer Banks resident Jenni Koontz shows how powerful the waves were during Wednesday morning’s high tide. Authorities said it’s only going to get worse with each high tide.

Graham Leggat, a Rodanthe resident of 30 years as of Wednesday, explained his decision to stay.

“You don’t want to get stuck on the other side and not get back to your stuff, and you’re forced to stay with friends or hotels and forced three meals a day out for you, your family, whoever you have,” Leggat said. “We ride it out for that.”

Graham said he and his family also stay to protect their belongings and to ensure they can get to higher ground.

Graham’s family got through Wednesday morning’s high tide relatively unscathed. However, the evening high tides are expected to be higher than the mornings’ for the next few days.

People are reporting ocean overwash on Wednesday in several spots along North Carolina Highway 12 in the Outer Banks, according to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Facebook page.

N.C. Highway 12 is the only way by car on or off Hatteras Island.

Authorities temporarily closed the beachfront in the Villages of Rodanthe and Buxton due to threatened oceanfront structures that may be damaged.

The eye of Hurricane Erin is expected to remain in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the Outer Banks will feel effects from the hurricane on Wednesday and Thursday with 2- to 4-foot storm surge, 40- to 60-mph winds and 15- to 20-foot waves.