Source: The Associated Press
In Rodanthe, a house has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean. The collapse of the unoccupied, privately owned home occurred on the morning of May 28 along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s beaches. This is the sixth house to collapse along this stretch of North Carolina’s coast in the past four years.
The wreckage was so severe it led to nearly a mile-long closure of the Rodanthe beach located on the outer banks and prompted officials to warn visitors to avoid certain beach areas that were expected to be littered with debris from the fallen house. The clean-up effort spanned over two days and involved moving dozens of trucks filled with debris.
With the North Carolina coast being made up of vulnerable low-lying islands the area is at risk of facing the brunt of the increasingly dangerous weather and natural disasters we are seeing as a result of the planet’s increased temperature.
In response to another house that collapsed along the same area in 2022, the superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, David Hallac, released a statement saying that more houses may collapse soon. “We proactively reached out to homeowners along Ocean Drive in Rodanthe after the first house collapse and recommended that actions be taken to prevent collapse and impact to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”
