(NEW YORK) — Several more North Carolina homes have collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, and more could collapse in the coming days, according to the National Park Service.
Five unoccupied homes in the Outer Banks fell into the sea on Tuesday afternoon amid rough surf, the NPS announced.
Two of the homes that collapsed on Tuesday were located on Tower Circle Road in the community of Buxton, while two were located on Ocean Drive and one on Cottage Avenue, according to the NPS. All of the homes fell between 2 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. ET.
Local officials are attempting to reach the owners of the homes to determine their plans for cleaning up the debris on the beaches lining the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the NPS said.
Officials advised visitors to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to avoid the beach and stay out of the water in Buxton due to “varying amounts” of hazardous debris that are currently littering the beach south of the collapse site. Large pieces of lumber have also been observed in the surf and shorebreak.
The Outer Banks is a chain of barrier islands stretching the coast of North Carolina, featuring more than 100 miles of shoreline. The picturesque seaside communities are known for their beach homes propped on high stilts.
But more than two dozen privately-owned homes along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore have collapsed into the Atlantic since 2020, according to the NPS.
Sixteen of those homes succumbed to the sea since Sept. 16 of this year, according to the NPS.
Most of the debris from the homes that collapsed prior to the latest event had been cleaned up before Tuesday, the NPS said. There is potential for more homes to subside in the coming days.
Rising sea levels that have resulted from global warming and the melting of ice caps have likely exacerbated the natural sea erosion that occurs daily from the impacts of wind, waves and tides.
In the Outer Banks, the villages of Rodanthe and Buxton have been hit particularly hard by the effects of coastal erosion, according to the NPS.
The Outer Banks — along with other barrier islands on the East Coast — often face the brunt of inclement weather that impacts the eastern coast of the U.S.
In August, mandatory evacuations were issued in several counties in the Outer Banks due to Hurricane Erin, despite the storm not making landfall in the U.S.
Eight homes collapsed between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 after the impacts from Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, both of which stayed far in the Atlantic but still brought massive waves to the eastern seaboard.
An additional home fell on Oct. 18, days after the first nor’easter of the season battered the East Coast.
Projects to fortify the beaches near the Outer Banks, including beach nourishment and jetty repairs, are scheduled for 2026, ABC Raleigh-Durham affiliate WTVD reported.
Local officials are trying to preserve and secure the beaches as quickly as possible, Bobby Outten, manager of Dare County, told WTVD.
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