Another Outer Banks home collapses into the Atlantic Ocean
This is the sixth house to collapse into the sea along Seashore beaches in the last four years due to rising sea levels and erosion.
This home in Rodanthe, North Carolina, along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, collapsed into the ocean. Its debris was washed and carried along the shores on May 28, making cleanup difficult.
Another beach house has fallen into the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina's Outer Banks, the U.S. National Park Service said Tuesday.
The beach from Sea Haven Drive to South Shore Drive in Rodanthe was temporarily closed after an unoccupied house at 24131 Ocean Drive collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Hatteras National Seashore said in a press release Tuesday. It is the sixth house to collapse into the sea along Seashore beaches in the last four years due to rising sea levels and erosion.
Park officials said the house likely collapsed at around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, and cleanup efforts began later that morning.
Photo of the collapsed house at 24131 Ocean Drive, Rodanthe. (Photo Credit: NPS)
"Due to the direction that the debris is expected to drift, visitors are urged to avoid the beaches north of Sea Haven Drive into the southern portion of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Dangerous debris may be present on the beach and in the water," park officials said. "Additional beach closures may be necessary as the debris spreads and cleanup efforts proceed."
A contractor was hired by the homeowner to assist in cleanup and debris removal, park officials said.
"Seashore employees filled 31 pickup trucks with collapsed house debris and unloaded the debris at a nearby parking lot," park officials said in an update Tuesday afternoon. Members of the public were invited to volunteer to assist Seashore employees in cleanup efforts on Wednesday.
"The debris collected by Seashore employees and volunteers will be permanently disposed of in the coming days," park officials said.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore covers an approximately 70-mile stretch of the Outer Banks, a line of barrier islands along the North Carolina coast. Winds, waves, tides, and rising seas and storms have contributed to ongoing coastal erosion in the area. Oceanfront homes in the village of Rodanthe that once had backyard space, dunes and dry sand separating them from the ocean are now "either partially or fully covered with ocean water on a regular basis," park officials said.
Reporting by TMX
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