Two beachfront homes in North Carolina’s Outer Banks collapsed on Tuesday amid flooding and high tides. Both homes were unoccupied when they collapsed; however, authorities are warning that more houses could collapse in the near future.
“Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future,” said David Hallac, the superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina.
“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 impacts to Cape Hatteras National Seashore."
The first home was located at Ocean Drive in Rodanthe, a town located in the north of Hatteras Island. Officials made the decision to close the beach along Ocean Drive as a precaution following the home’s cave-in.
Hours following the collapse of the first home, a second unoccupied house on Ocean Drive collapsed. A video shared on social media shows the powerful waves crashing against the building’s stilts causing it to sway and fall.
The Southeast coast has been battling heavy weather over the last several days. According to The Weather Channel, low pressure that formed off the East Coast will continue to linger this week causing strong winds, high surf, and rip currents as well as coastal flooding.
The two homes located in the North Carolina's picturesque Outer Banks fell due to high water levels and beach erosion. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has reported that more could fall.
Flooding is anticipated to increase in the coming years. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), by 2030 there will be seven to 15 days of high tide flooding nationwide and by 2050 that number will increase to 25 to 75 days.
A spokesperson for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore said that the collapsed houses had already been determined to be unsafe and in danger of collapse months ago by the Dare County Planning Department. A house also located in Rodanthe collapsed in February, causing debris to scatter across miles of its coastline.
Parts of Cape Hatteras will remain under a coastal flooding warning and high surf advisory until Thursday. North Carolina Highway 12 remains closed from the Oregon Inlet to Rodanthe as a safety precaution.