I cannot access the article you mentioned but I have seen some other information on this movement. What I didn't realize was that the motion was in reverse of normal plate motion!

A hurricane could cause this reverse of motion? I guess if it was spread over a large area it would accelerate the north american plate motion enough. I guess we should watch hurricanes now and their effect on plate motions...

Here is some info on Hurricane Dennis:
Hurricane Dennis

The coastal areas of North Carolina had their fourth tropical storm scare in
as many years during August 29th and 30th. Hurricane Dennis developed
over the eastern Bahamas on the 26th and drifted northward parallel to the
southeast U.S. coast from the 26th through the 30th. Dennis became an
immediate threat to southeastern North Carolina on the 29th. The center
approached to within 60 miles of the coast early on the 30th as a strong
category two hurricane with highest sustained winds of 105 miles per hour.
Due to the fact that the hurricane never made landfall, damage was only
moderate. Rainfall amounts approached ten inches in coastal southeastern
North Carolina and beach erosion was substantial. This area is no stranger to
hurricane activity. Category two hurricane Bertha and category three
hurricane Fran hit Brunswick County in 1996 and Hurricane Bonnie
(category 2) followed nearly the same path in 1998. Prior to 1996, the area
had been spared from the direct impact of a hurricane since Charlie (category
1) hit Carteret County in 1986.

Dennis made a return visit in September as a tropical storm, moving west-
northwest through eastern and central North Carolina. The main impact this
time was flooding due to heavy rains, with the maximum preliminary report
being 13.82 inches in Allisonia, VA. However, due to the storm lingering
just off the coast for several days, beach erosion and damage to coastal
highways was significant. Residents of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands were
stranded for several days due to severe damage to Highway 12.