North Carolina’s Outer Banks are home to countless picturesque houses along the ocean, with many sitting in the beloved Cape Hatteras National Seashore. In recent months, however, seaside homes in the community of Rodanthe have continued to collapse. The most recent was only a few hours ago.
According to the National Park Service, an unoccupied house on Surfside Drive, just a few hundred feet from the ocean, collapsed and washed into the ocean sometime in the overnight hours of Nov. 14 and 15. Park officials are in communication with the owner of the home and are monitoring two other unoccupied homes nearby that are also in danger of collapse.
Related: Sad Video Shows Another Outer Banks House Collapsing Into the Ocean
Cleanup efforts are limited at the moment due to severe weather conditions and the closure of N.C. Highway 12, the main road in the Outer Banks, between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe. Additionally, the beach in Rodanthe is temporarily closed due to hazardous debris in the area, while visitors are advised to avoid the beach and ocean entirely for several miles south of Rodanthe.
Since May of this year, six houses have collapsed in Rodanthe in a troubling sign for local residents and visitors alike. The arrival of Hurricane Helene in the state in September certainly didn’t do locals any favors; while the storm largely battered the mountainous region of western North Carolina, the entire state was inundated, including the normally rainier Outer Banks.
If you plan to visit the area this fall and were planning to enjoy the beach in Rodanthe, consider postponing until next summer.
