North Carolina – High tides along the North Carolina coast caused two houses to collapse into the Atlantic this week.
The National Park Service confirmed that the second house collapsed Tuesday afternoon on Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
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Both homes were unoccupied and the street where the collapsed homes were located — Ocean Drive — was closed following the collapse.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) has confirmed that an unoccupied house at 24265 Ocean Drive, Rodanthe, N.C. collapsed this afternoon. This is the second unoccupied house collapse of the day at the Seashore. Read more: https://t.co/ZPUiklQAWA pic.twitter.com/OMoPNCpbzk
— Cape Hatteras National Seashore (@CapeHatterasNPS) May 10, 2022
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, area highways were also closed due to worsening weather conditions in the area.
“Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future,” National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac said.
The homeowners are working with state officials to coordinate the cleanup of the homes, the NPS reported.
“Hundreds of pricey vacation homes have been built there in places where experts say they probably should not have been,” the Associated Press reported. “The islands are particularly vulnerable to storm surges and to being washed over from both sides.”
Development along the shore is making erosion of the shorelines worse, according to the Associate Press.
This is the third home this year that has fallen into the ocean along the North Carolina coast.