5 NC homes collapse into ocean as Humberto, Imelda stir dangerous surf
Video captured Tuesday shows five homes in Buxton, North Carolina collapsing into the Atlantic Ocean, swallowed up by treacherous waves fueled by Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda. The houses, which were set on stilts, were unoccupied, and no injuries were reported. Officials warned people to stay away from the area to avoid dangerous debris from the aftermath.
Danger still lurking
Waves reached heights of 15 feet or more Tuesday, flooding beaches and accelerating the erosion of North Carolina’s already fragile coastline. The conditions forced the closure of a nearby highway, which could become impassable during high tides.
The National Park Service says hazardous surf is expected to continue through Friday.
A more frequent occurrence
The dramatic collapse of homes into the ocean has become more frequent in recent years due to coastline erosion. Just two weeks ago, another abandoned home in Buxton fell into the sea. And in nearby Rodanthe, 17 homes have reportedly collapsed over the past five years, with many more now at risk.
Experts say the Outer Banks are eroding at one of the fastest rates on the East Coast.
Calls for action
“This is becoming a regular occurrence,” Rob Young, director of the Program for Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, told The Washington Post.
He’s pushing for seaside communities to be more forward thinking when it comes to building and keeping homes out of the way of threats from rising sea levels and more intense weather events.
“Often, we hear the refrain from coastal communities that we aren’t going to retreat from the oceanfront,” Young said. “We are retreating, we are just doing it in an unmanaged way, rather than a managed way…We are doing it in the worst possible way.”
No easy fix
Some homeowners have resorted to propping homes up on stilts or moving them all together — options that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Local governments have tried to buy and demolish at-risk homes, but funding is limited.
Beach nourishment has also been attempted, but experts say that solution may be short-lived.
For now, officials are left with few proven strategies, as climate scientists urge communities to plan ahead before the next wave of destruction.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
