Outer Banks home collapses into ocean for first time in months
More than 30 unoccupied homes have fallen victim to erosion and coastal storms since 2020, according to the National Park Service’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Tuesday’s collapse was the first since February.
Yet another home has fallen into the ocean along North Carolina’s Outer Banks after being battered by coastal erosion and rough surf, marking the first such collapse since February.
The National Park Service’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore said the unoccupied home at 46000 Ocean Drive in Buxton collapsed Tuesday night. The NPS warned people to avoid the beach and stay out of the water from Buxton to Cape Point.
The only part of the home left in Buxton, North Carolina after it collapsed into the ocean on June 2, 2026. (Image credit: Jenni Koontz/Epic Shutter Photography via Storyful)
“Varying amounts of hazardous large and small debris litter the beach to the south of the collapse site,” the NPS said. “Due to public safety concerns, all beach access from the north end of Buxton through the lifeguarded beach is temporarily closed until park rangers can assess the area.”
Ahead of the collapse, Jenni Koontz of Epic Shutter Photography captured footage of the damaged beachfront home before high tide and sunset Tuesday as rough surf pounded the coast. Flooding was also visible along Highway 12 near the shoreline.
Koontz said the home collapsed around 10:30 p.m. When she returned, almost nothing was left of the structure.
The collapse marks the 32nd home to fall into the surf along Cape Hatteras National Seashore since 2020. The image below shows one of four homes collapsing in February during a winter storm.
Each collapse can send massive amounts of debris along the coast, leading to beach closures and costly cleanup efforts.
Many homeowners have been scrambling to move their houses away from eroding beaches, paying up to $200,000 to relocate multistory homes farther from the surf.
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