[ad_1]
Hurricane-driven surf from Humberto and Imelda caused nine unoccupied houses to collapse on the Outer Banks in one week.
BUXTON, N.C. — A ninth house has fallen into the ocean on the Outer Banks.
This one fell in Rodanthe, instead of the past eight, which fell in Buxton. The ninth house collapsed shortly before 6 p.m. Friday, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore said, and was located at 23047 G.A. Kohler Court. That’s the same area where multiple houses fell in succession over the span of a few days in September 2024.
It comes as the eighth house, located at 46221 Tower Circle Road in Buxton, fell about 24 hours earlier. According to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, that house fell shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Two houses fell into the ocean on Wednesday, with five more houses falling within the span of an hour on Tuesday as a result of strong surf from Hurricane Humberto and Hurricane Imelda. All of the homes this week were unoccupied at the time of the collapses, and no injuries have been reported in connection with any of the collapses, officials said.
The recent collapse adds to an already large tally, marking the 21st house to collapse along the Outer Banks over the past five years. The most recent previous collapse occurred just two weeks ago.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore has closed the beach from northern Buxton through off-road vehicle ramp 43 for public safety and advised visitors to stay away from debris, which could be hazardous. The Seashore also provides information on threatened structures along the islands on its website.
The Seashore said earlier on Thursday that they plan to head out to the site of the Buxton collapses on Friday in order to begin cleanup efforts. Conditions have not yet been safe enough to start, according to locals.
Experts note that barrier islands, such as the Outer Banks, are naturally shifting landforms, making coastal structures increasingly vulnerable to erosion, storms, and rising sea levels.
[ad_2]