Fourth home collapses into surf along North Carolina's Outer Banks this year

The home had suffered damage from an adjacent home that collapsed into the surf earlier in the day along G A Kohler Court in Rodanthe.

MANTEO, N.C. — Yet another home has collapsed into the rising surf along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Friday night, showing the ongoing threat of erosion and rising sea levels to North Carolina's Outer Banks.

The home had suffered damage from an adjacent home that collapsed into the surf earlier in the day along G A Kohler Court in Rodanthe.

Police received a call Friday night that the one-story unoccupied home had gone into the ocean. Officers arrived to find the home crumbled and swept into the surf before its debris washed back ashore further down the court.

The homeowners are securing contractors to clean up the debris. In the meantime, National Park Service staff warn all beachgoers on the north end of Rodanthe and for miles to the south, to stay out of the water and wear hard-soled shoes when walking on the beach to avoid injuries from hazardous floating debris and nail-ridden wooden debris.  Park staff have already found debris from Friday morning’s house collapse present 9 miles to the south.

This is now the fourth house collapse along this beach in the past year and the ninth in the past four years, according to the NPS. No injuries have been reported.

In August, swells produced by Hurricane Ernesto caused at least one house to collapse along the Outer Banks. Dare County Emergency Management said the house was already at risk of collapsing well before the hurricane’s tides put the structure at risk.

When the Category 2 hurricane occurred, it was more than 1,000 miles away from North Carolina. However, due to the combination of rough surf and high water levels, significant erosion and coastal flooding happened along barrier islands.

The NPS said the daily effects of wind, waves and tides, along with rising ocean levels, have played a significant role in coastal erosion along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. 

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