Another house has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Hatteras National Seashore/NPS
A one-story house has collapsed at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, bringing to four that have been pulled down into the Atlantic Ocean's surf since the start of 2022. Seashore staff reported the collapsed house in Rodanthe on Monday afternoon, said Mike Barber, the seashore's public affairs officer.
Cape Hatteras visitors were being told to use caution when participating in recreational activities on the beach near East Point Drive in Rodanthe due to debris from the house.
When many houses in Rodanthe were built, they were outside the national seashore's boundary, which reaches up to the high tide line on the beaches. But as years have gone by and storms have come and gone, the beachfront has been eroded away to where it is now, with the high tide swirling around the pilings that the houses stand on.
The situation has placed the National Park Service in a difficult position, as its job is to preserve parks unimpaired for future generations, but so far the national seashore staff has not taken any legal action to order the removal of additional homes in danger of collapse, or condemn them because they're in danger of collapse so the homeowners might be able to collect insurance, though it has discussed the issue with Interior Department lawyers.
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