A shocking moment was captured on camera where two North Carolina houses were seen becoming victims to battering waves as the debris of the house is seen falling into the crashing ocean. According to the officials, this is the third time a house in the Rodanthe area has collapsed into the ocean this year. A few months back in February, another house suffered the same fate after it fell into the surf and its debris was carried up to 15 miles away per federal officials.
A viral video circulating on social media shows two beach houses collapsing into the waves.
U.S. National Park Service officials announced last week that the unoccupied homes - located along Ocean Drive in the Outer Banks community of Rodanthe - had slid into the ocean.
According to The Washington Post, the two houses fell after they were battered by a low intensity but a strong slow moving storm for several days.
According to Zillow, one of the houses that became victim to the crashing waves was worth a whopping $381,200.
Reportedly, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials are working closely with the homeowner to organize a cleanup operation, while the local area around the houses is cordoned off by National Park Service workers.
As a matter of fact, this is the third house in the Rodanthe area that has become a victim to the ocean this year.
Back in February, another home on the stretch suffered the same fate after it fell into the surf, which carried its debris up to 15 miles away per federal officials.
Superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina David Hallac said in a statement that they predicted more homes could face a similar fate.
"Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future," Hallac said per ABC News.
He went on to urge homeowners to take preventative action, saying: "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."
NC12 remains CLOSED between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. The last high tide brought more overwash and sand to the road at the Pea Island Visitor Center and the S-Curves. Our crews are out working now, but it's too early to tell if we will be able to reopen to traffic today. pic.twitter.com/uOtq14AW2r
— NCDOT NC12 (@NCDOT_NC12) May 11, 2022
Coastlines in the Outer Banks are particularly vulnerable to erosion and changes in sea level, meaning the hundreds of vacation homes built along the seafront are at high risk.
According to William Sweet (a sea-level expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), water levels in the area have risen about an inch every five years in recent times.
"Higher seas allow waves to attack higher elevations and expose land that is typically not exposed to these types of events," said Sweet, adding" These storms have been chipping away over the last years and decades."
