NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH--Light poles were taken down from this north end parking lot of North Topsail Beach as the ocean creeps closer inland.
The parking lot has been eroding into the ocean for a few weeks, and the recent rain and supermoon brought even more erosion.
Hubert resident Anne Brandenburg has been watching the shoreline change over the last few years.
"The parking lot is going in, definitely. I'm sure that parking lot wasn't cheap to build. The parking lot comes out and then there's just pieces of the pavement are washed away, cracked, falling into the sand which now at high tide will be pushed out into the ocean,” said Brandenburg.
Dozens of homeowners have been battling the coastline for several months as the beach erosion continues to worsen.
As the town and homeowners assess this weekend's damage, the thought of Hurricane Joaquin is unsettling.
The North Topsail Beach Assistant Town Manager says right now town officials are keeping an eye on the hurricane’s path.
"If we get more rain from this storm that's coming it's probably going to impact the area again. We're probably going to see some more flooding and a bit more erosion, deterioration of the area and that's just what we're dealing with, with being near an inlet,” said Assistant Town Manager Carin Faulkner.
Brandenburg says another hurricane could bring a disaster to the north end.
"Even if the hurricane stays off the coast and just sweeps up this way, the waves are going to be too much for this end of the island to handle, and those sandbags aren't going to be high enough to stop it,” said Brandenburg.
As the ground tries to dry out, North Topsail Beach residents brace for another storm, but several inches of standing water still remain on the north end, just another sign that Mother Nature is winning the battle.
Hurricane Joaquin will strengthen over the next three days and is forecast to reach strong Category 2 intensity.