Oceanfront home collapses on Outer Banks, the eighth in past four years, NC park says
Another house collapsed on the Outer Banks, prompting a call for people to avoid part of the North Carolina coast.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore said the unoccupied oceanfront home fell early Sept. 20 in Rodanthe, a roughly 215-mile drive southeast from Raleigh. The house is the eighth to collapse in the area during the past four years.
“Additionally, the Seashore is monitoring an adjacent house that sustained damages because of the house collapse,” officials wrote in a Facebook post. “Dangerous debris may be present on the beach and in the water to the north and south of the collapse site, which will likely lead to temporary beach closures for public safety.”
A photo that park rangers shared online shows housing materials scattered across the sand at 23001 G A Kohler Court. Clean-up efforts at the site were expected to start Sept. 20.
The collapse was the third reported along the National Seashore this year, after two other Rodanthe homes fell in May and August, McClatchy News reported. No one was injured when the homes fell.
The National Park Service has said homes along the Atlantic coast are vulnerable to the elements.
“The daily effects of winds, waves, and tides, along with rising seas and storms, have played a part in contributing to coastal erosion impacts at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, particularly adjacent to the villages of Rodanthe and Buxton, North Carolina,” the park service wrote on its website.
“The effects of erosion in these villages have resulted in structures being present on the open beachfront or in the intertidal area which may result in reduced beach access and safety for visitors, a loss of habitat for shorebirds and sea turtles, and, sometimes, structure collapses on Seashore beaches, resulting in many miles of beach debris.”
The Outer Banks are barrier islands off the North Carolina coast.
This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 8:58 AM.
