$400,000 home is the latest to collapse into the ocean on North Carolina Outer Banks

A home on North Carolina’s Outer Banks collapsed into the surf and is spreading construction debris along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, according to the National Park Service.

The home, at 23228 East Point Drive in Rodanthe, fell midday Monday, March 13, and vanished into the ocean after dark.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitors should use caution when participating in recreational activities on the beach and in the ocean near East Point Drive in Rodanthe, North Carolina, due to debris from a collapsed one-story house,” the park reported.

“The Seashore is communicating with the owner of the house to coordinate the removal of the house and all related debris on the beach.”

A photo released by the park shows the three-bedroom house landed at the water’s edge and is being hit by waves. It is 1,116 square feet and valued at around $417,000, according to Zillow.com.

It was gone the next morning, and debris could be seen strewn a half mile along the beach, witnesses reported.

The collapse happened as the Outer Banks faced a high surf advisory through Tuesday, March 14, with forecasters predicting “large breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet in the surf zone” and localized beach erosion.

Rodanthe is among the Outer Banks towns hardest hit by beach erosion — a normal part of beach living that has worsened due to rising sea levels, experts say.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has issued multiple debris warnings in the recent years as homes in Rodanthe fell into the surf and broke apart.

In 2022, three homes collapsed, one in February and two in May, McClatchy News reported. Such collapses are known to carry nail-filled debris as far as 15 miles, leaving it deposited along National Park Service beaches.

This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 12:02 PM with the headline "$400,000 home is the latest to collapse into the ocean on North Carolina Outer Banks."