VIDEO: Another oceanfront house in Rodanthe claimed by the ocean
Another oceanfront home has fallen into the Atlantic Ocean along Rodanthe, as waves from distant Hurricane Ernesto continue to build.
Chicamacomico Fire and Rescue posted video of the house located at 23214 East Corbina Drive floating into the breakers Friday evening.
Dare County property records show the 1,428 square foot residence was built in 1973, and owned by a couple from Hershey, Pennsylvania. The total tax value of the property and structure was $356,400.
The house, which had been an active vacation rental until earlier this summer, was unoccupied at the time of the collapse. No injuries were reported.
The rough surf has already broken up much of the debris, and it was starting to spread along Mirlo Beach and points north along Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
This is the seventh house in Rodanthe to fall since 2020, with the most recent happening in May.
More from a press release issued Friday evening by the National Park Service:
“Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge strongly urges all visitors to avoid the beaches and stay out of the water around all areas of the beaches and surf in Rodanthe.
“Additionally, all public entry from the northern boundary of Rodanthe up to the northern end of the Jug Handle Bridge is closed.
“Many other homes appear to have sustained damages in the Rodanthe area. Dangerous debris may be present on the beach and in the water for more than a dozen miles.
“Prevailing currents appear to be rapidly transporting home debris to the north; however, if the wave swell and winds shift over the coming days, debris may also impact visitor safety in the villages of Waves and Salvo.
“The Seashore is in communications with the property owner. A debris removal contractor has not been obtained by the owner at this time.
“Debris removal activities may be conducted by National Park Service staff if other efforts to remove debris do not occur.
“The Seashore does not expect significant debris removal efforts to occur until after the elevated sea conditions subside early next week.”
Large swells, dangerous rip currents, and some overwash at high tide started to arrive along the Outer Banks on Friday from distant Hurricane Ernesto, and will continue through the weekend.
Debris from previous collapses washed up along more than 20 miles of Hatteras Island beach in the days after they fell.
In some cases, cleanup costs have been paid for by the homeowner. But most of the time the National Park Service has had to foot the bill and attempt to recover the money from the owners.
Last November, contractors demolished a pair of homes on East Beacon Drive that were threatened with collapse.
They were purchased by the National Park Service, with assistance from the National Park Trust and funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, properties at 23292 and 23298 East Beacon Road were purchased earlier in the fall for fair market value using zero taxpayer dollars.
The fund invests earnings from offshore oil and gas leasing by the U.S. Department of Interior “to acquire lands, waters, and interests therein necessary to achieve the natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreation management objectives of the National Park Service.”
The Park Service has been working with Dare County to identify dozens of homes threatened by erosion in the tri-villages, a working group was established in 2022 to come up with strategies to address the issues.
They have communicated with dozens of property owners about shoring up their properties or considering relocation, with some having already moved or in the process of moving their homes.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore has a webpage to provide information and updates about those efforts at https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/news/threatened-oceanfront-structures.htm
This is a developing story, stay with SamWalkerOBXNews.com and IslandFreePress.org for the latest information.
