The Outer Banks, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Shifting Sands, all the shoals from Currituck to Cape Fear -- the whole history of coastal North Carolina is about the barrier islands forming and reforming. Inlets get filled in, and other inlets open up in other spots. Bridges wash away in a hurricane, and even huge pieces of the roadway of highway 12.
It's sand. It washes away. It builds up in other places. It doesn't "rise from the sea" like a volcanic island or uplifted plate.
One of the lighthouses was converted to a museum, and had maps at various intervals from the 1600's to modern day. The changes in the shape of the coastline were drastic. Even in modern times, whatever you build there is a temporary fixture.
On the positive side, there’s a whole new two miles of sandy beach to go flounder gigging for the locals.