A snowstorm has caused four unoccupied houses in North Carolina’s Outer Banks to collapse. No injuries were reported.
All four of the privately owned houses were located in Buxton, along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The first house fell in the “early morning hours” on Sunday, followed by another two in the “overnight hours” between Sunday and Monday and the most recent collapse at about 9 a.m. Monday, the National Park Service said.
The collapses came during stormy weather, including 50 mph winds, high surf between 2 to 4 feet and as much as 18 inches of snow, according to the Charlotte Observer.
The storm exacerbated the daily effects of erosion caused by the wind and the waves that had weakened the sandy foundation around the homes.
“Those four houses were already vulnerable and hanging on for dear life. One of them was my listing that I was fully intending to put back on the market once the beach nourishment took place this spring,” local real estate agent Misty Gillikin told Realtor.com.
She was referring to plans by local authorities in Dare County, North Carolina, to refresh beaches in Buxton and in the town of Avon with new sand sometime this year.
Since 2020, the National Park Service said, 31 such privately owned homes have collapsed along Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Buxton and in nearby Rodanthe.
The majority of the collapses have come in recent months; there have been 20 collapses, 19 in Buxton and one in Rodanthe, since Sept. 16, the National Park Service said.
Two other houses in Rodanthe were purposefully demolished after being bought by Cape Hatteras National Seashore in a pilot program paid for by the National Park Trust and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
