We learned the definition of 'overwash' according to NCDOT the hard way as high-tide, full moon and storm off the coast combined to wash dunes over the road and closed the road for 3 days while we were in town (up north) on the opposite side of the closure. We were unable to stay at the property or get to our belongings. We had to buy new clothes, toiletries and eat out for every meal after we had fully stocked the house with groceries in order to wait for the road to open and retrieve our belongings. We had difficulty securing hotels each night. The owner requires trip cancellation protection only, and then advises to purchase trip interruption protection. Sadly, the trip interruption protection is twice the cost of the cancellation and is an additional policy. If you as a tourist do not understand the regularity of overwash closure in this area, you would never know that you should be required to purchase the trip cancellation insurance. (You would never know the danger of leaving the rental home in overcast weather to go shopping or putt-putt either unless I post this.) We purchased the trip cancellation, but this policy expires at check-in. Unfortunately, trip interruption doesn't cover expenses when you can't leave and must stay in hotels to be near your stuff. Please note, the combination of storm, high-tide (daily) and full moon (monthly) is not uncommon and can happen regularly in this area. Less important note worth mentioning is the 'heated' pool is solar heated, so if no sun, then no warmth. The one day of sun did not warm the water enough to swim that day either. We went to the beach for a week and our kids did not swim except in the indoor hotel pools. We weren't sure if the junk on the side of the road all through Rodanthe/Waves/Avon was from the hurricane, but there was a lot of scrap metal, washers, refrigs, hot water heaters piled up and looked as if they had been there a while by the rust. Stay at the southern portion of the outer banks at your own risk. NCDOT is building a 'jug-handle' bridge in Rodanthe because of the overwach problem; however, it is not even a 1/10th long enough as they will continue to have this problem unless a bridge connects Oregon Inlet to Rodanthe.