A terrifying video shows a beach house plunging into the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This is the seventh such incident in four years, according to the National Park Service. The house collapsed just hours after the park warned that Hurricane Ernesto would create dangerous ocean conditions on the Outer Banks.
The house at 23214 Corbina Drive in Rodanthe collapsed on Friday, August 16. It then began to break apart in the surf. The house was unoccupied at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.
“Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge urge all visitors to avoid the beaches and stay out of the water in all beach and surf areas in Rodanthe,” officials said, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
“Many other homes in the Rodanthe area appear to have been damaged. Dangerous debris may be on the beach and in the water for more than 20 kilometers,” they added.
The video shows the pilings underneath the two-story home suddenly breaking off, and the structure can be seen floating as waves crash against the walls. Officials confirmed that the public is now barred from areas “from the northern border of Rodanthe to the northern end of the Jug Handle Bridge.”
Dangerous debris from the house is being carried north by currents, but communities to the south have been warned that this could change as winds shift.
As of Friday, the property owner had not made any arrangements to remove the debris, prompting the National Park Service to reportedly consider a cleanup operation.
“I never understood why people build their houses right on the beach”
Many shocked X users commented on the above video, with one of them saying, “I live on an island and I take that risk too… Glad to hear no one was hurt.” “The Outer Banks used to be forested areas that helped protect the inland areas. This is what happens when you remove the protective barriers,” one user wrote, while another said, “They’re called ‘barrier islands’ for a reason. The fact that we build on them is insane. Barrier islands are meant to ebb and flow and change with storms.”
“I know the Outer Banks area pretty well. The truth is that the shoreline advances in some areas and recedes in others. Sometimes whole new islands appear and then disappear. Shell Island is one of them. I’m not sure it’s wise to build there,” wrote one user, while another said, “When I was in the Marine Corps, I was in this area all the time. I never understood why people build their houses right on the beach.” One wrote, “Oh man, that’s awful! I guess that’s why I’ll never buy by the ocean again!”
