A vacant vacation home in North Carolina recently collapsed into the ocean when high surf and king tides rushed onto the shore. On the shore of a beach in Rodanthe, North Carolina, a photographer captured the home as it crumbed from its stilts. Reports have indicated that multiple homes have collapsed along the Tarheel State’s eastern shores in recent months.
As seen in the footage, the stilts the home sat on were under apparent stress from the powerful waves rushing against the structure’s base. Having reached a breaking point, the house began to lean forward, crashing climactically into the surf. The structure initially bobbed up and down, floating on the waves, eventually breaking apart piece by piece.
Additional reports from the region indicate that multiple beachfront homes have been lost to the sea recently. According to a Fox Weather report from last week, four homes had collapsed into the surf this year. Furthermore, 13 News Now reported in August that there had been seven collapses in the Rodanthe community since 2020.
Jake Overton, who had been cleaning up debris on the beach, commented on the disastrous collapses the area has seen recently. “We had no idea how it would happen that quick,” he said speaking about a recnet loss. North Carolina officials have been struggling with how to navigate beachfront properties that are at risk, where there is no easy solution for homeowners and authorities.
Some homeowners wrote a letter to state and regional officials, including U.S. Congressman Greg Murphy, emphasizing the need “to mitigate the damage to the seashore through a reduced valuation acquisition.” The letter suggested that the National Park Service, which previously purchased two properties prone to collapse and removed them, acquire the at-risk home at a reduced valuation.
David Montag, who was vacationing in Rodanthe, commented on witnessing a home collapse recently. “It was crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it. The power of the ocean is amazing. It was just picking up the house and shoving it into the little house,” he said.
David Hallac, Superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, noted that debris had spread for approximately five miles down the beach. “We have a very high erosion rate in this area and it undermines the pilings and eventually causes them to collapse and fall down,” Hallac said. “The houses could be moved or removed. But to be fair, that’s a very costly endeavor for the homeowners.”
Watch the home collapse below:
In a statement given 13 News Now, Congressman Greg Murphy said, “The fact that homeowners have to wait until their property falls into the ocean before they can utilize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is ridiculous. Every additional home that is swept into the sea understandably concerns individuals who want to see action be taken. I continue to advocate vigorously in Congress for My Prevent Environmental Hazards Act which would allow folks insured by the NFIP to act before an emergency occurs. This is better for those with at-risk homes, and would save taxpayer dollars and protect the environment.”
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
"*" indicates required fields