The home on a beach of North Carolina’s Outer Banks leaned against the surf before the pilings below it sagged, then gave way, toppling the entire structure into the sea.
A beachgoer posted video of the collapse on Instagram on 16 August. “A Rodanthe NC house was consumed by the ocean right in front of me!” the caption read.
The National Park Service said the home collapse was the seventh to happen in Rodanthe in four years, and warned visitors to stay away from beaches near the Cape Hatteras national seashore.
Public entry was closed from Rodanthe to Jug Handle Bridge as debris from the collapse washed ashore, bringing jagged pieces of metal and wood planks riddled with nails on to the beaches.
Officials said many other homes in the Rodanthe area appeared to have sustained damages: “Dangerous debris may be present on the beach and in the water for more than a dozen miles.”
An alert from the park service warned of “exposed hazards, such as house-related septic systems, wires, pipes and broken concrete parking pads”.
The beach house, which had been an active vacation rental until earlier this summer, was unoccupied and no injuries were reported in the collapse. The property is owned by a couple from Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The collapse was probably caused by increased ocean swells due to Hurricane Ernesto, which made landfall in Bermuda early on Saturday, bringing winds of 85mph and waves exceeding 35ft (10.5 metres), and the result of beach erosion – a normal part of beach living that has worsened due to rising sea levels linked to the climate crisis, experts say.
Indeed, as the house on East Corbina Drive collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, powerful waves could be seen slamming into the walls of the structure, tearing off a large porch and breaking it into pieces, video shows.
Arrangements to remove the debris had not been made by the property owner as of Friday, prompting the park service to consider a removal effort of its own.
“The [park] does not expect significant debris removal efforts to occur until after the elevated sea conditions subside early next week,” officials told the News and Observer.
