Six homes in the Outer Banks collapse into the ocean amid Atlantic hurricane activity.

In a significant display of the impacts of climate change, six homes located on North Carolina’s Outer Banks collapsed into the ocean due to severe surf conditions generated by two offshore hurricanes. The unfortunate incident occurred on Tuesday, with five of the residences in Buxton succumbing to the waves within a brief span of just 45 minutes during high tide. The sixth house faced a similar fate overnight, mirroring the ongoing struggle against coastal erosion in the area.

All of the affected homes were unoccupied at the time of their collapse, as they had been deemed unsafe for habitation. Dare County Planning Director Noah Gillam confirmed that these structures were part of a broader category of 35 buildings that had been “decertified for occupation” since the latter part of August. This action followed the damaging effects of Hurricane Erin, which had previously stirred up large waves along the same coastline.

The phenomenon of home collapses along the Outer Banks is not new; since 2020, 18 private homes have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean as rising sea levels continue to encroach upon beach areas. The collapses, frequently documented on video, have become emblematic of the broader climate crisis facing coastal communities throughout the nation. The first 11 of these incidents transpired in Rodanthe, located approximately 20 miles north of Buxton, while the seven most recent collapses have taken place in Buxton itself, including the fall of another property just two weeks prior to the latest series of incidents.

The recent collapses were exacerbated by the presence of Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, which have stirred substantial wave activity, prompting the National Weather Service to issue coastal flood warnings for the entire Outer Banks region. Concern is mounting over the vulnerability of coastal structures; a 2024 report from federal, state, and local agencies indicated that approximately 750 out of nearly 8,800 oceanfront structures in North Carolina are at risk due to persistent erosion, with viable protective measures often deemed prohibitively expensive.

As the effects of climate change continue to intensify, the Outer Banks serve as a critical focal point for discussions on environmental resilience and coastal protection strategies.