BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Surf, sand and sun are big draws for southeastern North Carolina. In fact, our beaches keep much of our economy afloat, but they take a lot of maintenance.

Beach nourishment, dredging inlets, and building structures all help prevent erosion, and preserve our coastline. They, however, take time, man-power, and most importantly, money. So, is that all worth it, and what is the best method?

It all depends. We take a closer look in a WWAY investigation: Fighting Mother Nature.

Sandbags are the only defense David and Vonecille Litz have been able to put up against the waves pounding their home in Oak Island.

"It's wiped the concrete walkways down, and washed all that sand away," David Litz said.

Vonecille Litz said she and her husband have spent almost $50,000 on the sandbags. They had to put up the barrier when Lockwood's Folly Inlet started eroding the beach outside they're home a year ago.

Spencer Rogers, a coastal engineer and geologist with North Carolina Sea Grant was out at the Litz' home Thursday. He helps homeowners deal with these kinds of issues. He said Lockwood's Folly Inlet, like many others, oscillates back and forth, and has highly-variable shorelines.

"What we're seeing here is something that occurred in the exact same area back in 1979 or so," Rogers said.

Back then, according to Rogers and the Litz, some of the threatened houses were moved farther away from the beach. The Litz said they actually used to own one of those houses. It now sits across the street from the one they're losing to the ocean.

"You wonder sometimes why would these be buildable lots when you knew, in so many years, that it was going to erode again," Vonecille Litz said.

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WWAY INVESTIGATES: Are beaches worth the money?