Another Outer Banks house collapses; sea level rise due to climate change likely to make problems worse

As the Outer Banks experiences beach erosion, rip currents and overwash, which closed a segment of N.C. Highway 12 on Tuesday, another seaside house has collapsed.

Posted 3:33 p.m. May 10, 2022 — Updated 3:49 a.m. May 11, 2022

NAGS HEAD, N.C. — As the Outer Banks experiences beach erosion, rip currents and overwash, which closed a segment of N.C. Highway 12 on Tuesday, another seaside house has collapsed.

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore said an unoccupied house collapsed at 24235 Ocean Drive in Rodanthe, prompting officials to close that segment of the beach to protect people from the large debris.

Earlier Tuesday morning, the state Department of Transportation made the announcement that N.C. 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthewould be closed through the day after high tide caused the main Outer Banks thoroughfare to became covered in sand and water.

A house nearby collapsed earlier this year, in February. Volunteers and crews worked for weeks to clean up debris that floated or blew 7 miles down the beach, but remnants of the home are still being found months later.

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore warned more homes could collapse this week as a coastal low impacts N.C. beaches.

"It's a combination of climate change (rising seas) and the strong coastal low," said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth. "The coastal low is bringing in onshore winds and causing the high tides to be even higher."

Beachgoers alerted to collapsed house in surf in Rodanthe

The dangerous conditions in the Outer Banks and along N.C. beaches are connected to a low pressure system off the coast.

Coastal erosion and wave heights up to 15 feet are possible and a rip current risk is in place through mid-week at least. By Thursday, the system will bring rain to central and eastern N.C. as it moves onshore.

"With the low pressure staying off the coast through the middle of the week, strong winds will continue for the coast," WRAL meteorologist Peta Sheerwood said. "This will prompt northeast swells at some beaches. Beach erosion is likely for parts of the Outer Banks during periods of high tide, and strong rip currents are possible as well."

The National Weather Service has a coastal flood advisory in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday, when 1 to 3 feet of flooding above ground level is expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.

Climate change is contributing to more tropical storms and hurricanes, and experts say the N.C. coastline could start to shrink. A new report projects the U.S. sea level will rise as much in the next 30 years as it did in the past 100 years.

Rising sea level could impact North Carolina's coastline

As the climate continues to warm, environmental experts say that the threat to homes in Rodanthe is only going to increase.

"Sea level rise is likely to continue to make these problems worse and make it even more challenging to manage these coastal areas," said David Hallac, superintendent of the eastern North Carolina branch of the National Parks Service.

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