A home on the Outer Banks has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, the third house on that stretch to meet the same fate since Friday.
The home, located in GA Kohler Court, Rodanthe, sank into the sea on Tuesday afternoon.
It's the 10th home in Caller Court, Georgia, to be swallowed by the ocean in four years and the fifth to collapse this year as rising sea levels destroy North Carolina's barrier island. According to WRAL.
Authorities said the owner of the home that collapsed Tuesday had hired contractors to remove it, but high water and other factors delayed the work.
“Swimmers and surfers are strongly advised not to enter the water in front of the villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salbo as the waves are carrying large amounts of dangerous floating debris which could cause injury if they go into the water along the areas of the three villages,” the National Park Service said. It said in a statement.
Large areas of the beach have been closed to the public, and bathers in the area are being urged to wear hard-soled shoes to avoid stepping on nails, construction materials, exposed septic tanks, electrical wires, and broken concrete on the beach.
Property owners, contractors, Outer Banks tourists and beach workers all worked together to clear away debris scattered for more than 20 miles south from the site of the collapsed home, WRAL reported.
By Monday, more than two dozen pickup trucks had removed the debris.
Rodanthe has been hit hard in recent years by the collapse of beachfront homes on the Outer Banks, largely due to worsening erosion caused by climate change.
One of the homes that collapsed over the weekend had 100 yards of sand between its back door and the ocean.
When they bought the home more than 10 years ago, “there was a beach behind the house the size of a football field,” the homeowner told WRAL.
“Many people say hateful things. [and] “People ask me why we built a house in the middle of the ocean,” said Sharon Troy, another homeowner.
“It wasn't like this when I bought it.”
When Hurricane Ernesto hit the Outer Banks in August, it swept away abandoned homes at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
