Beach rebuilding efforts won't stave off climate change impacts forever

Supplemental sand may have saved a North Carolina beach from Hurricane Florence, but some say the projects aren't worth it

When the coastal town of Wrightsville Beach, which buffers nearby Wilmington from the open ocean, began to come back to life on Wednesday after Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, many people returning home were surprisingly relieved.

Despite Florence roaring ashore in this exact spot last Friday and now causing catastrophic flooding inland, the hurricane had not destroyed the beach, as many had expected.