An increase in the number and severity of storms over the years has dramatically changed Hatteras Inlet—which separates Hatteras Island from Ocracoke Island—from a .25-mile-wide inlet in 1993 to a 2.3-mile-wide inlet in 2020. 

In addition to this considerable widening of the inlet, a significant amount of shoaling has also occurred within the waterway, which the U.S. Coast Guard Station Hatteras utilizes as a direct route to the Atlantic Ocean.

This shoaling has caused complications for the Coast Guard crews who are tasked with performing lifesaving ocean rescue missions in the area and require access through the inlet in order to successfully respond to calls for assistance. 

The constantly shifting shoals and sandbars that Hatteras Inlet experiences pose a clear and present danger for the safe navigation of both commercial and recreational vessels in the waterway between Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. 

This dangerous shoaling not only prevents Coast Guard crews from responding to emergencies with their 47 foot motor lifeboat and threatens the lives and property of commercial and recreational fishermen—it also jeopardizes the economy of the region by causing irreparable harm to charter boat operators, commercial fishing operations, seafood packing and processing houses, marine repair facilities and the dozens of other local businesses on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island that are reliant upon access through Hatteras Inlet. 

Keeping Hatteras Inlet open, accessible and safe for vessels to navigate is vital to both public safety as well as to sustaining the economy of the region.