His house is fairly new and was built to be "hurricane-proof" ... but it's on a marina right off the sound. For those not familiar with the NC coastal area, the sound is the body of water between the mainland and the barrier islands. The beaches are on the ocean side of the barrier islands. My brother lives on the mainland but quite close to the water so I worry about storm surge as well as wind damage. So far his house has come through at least 6 hurricanes without any significant damage ... :-)
How did the Outer Banks fare? I have a friend who used to own a summer home near Nagshead. Great place to vacation.