RODANTHE, NC. — One moment the house at 23039 GA Kohler Court was standing, the next it was scattered across the shoreline in Rodanthe on Tuesday. The house was nicknamed "Front Row Seats" and that's exactly what dozens of people had as it became the latest home to be claimed by the Atlantic Ocean.
"Unless the erosion stops, we don't expect that, it's been pretty continual in regard to an eroding beach, a beach that's receding, we expect more of this. So, we're continuing to urge homeowners to move or remove their homes, we are looking to work with partners to see if there are ways that we can provide more financial assistance," said David Hallac, superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Watch: Third Rodanthe house in the past week collapses in the Outer Banks
This is the 10th home to collapse since 2020, the third since Thursday and the fifth of 2024. Hallac added that they are actively looking to find funding sources to potentially purchase some of these homes before a collapse happens.
"Unfortunately, you have to buy them and remove them before they're in this state, because once they're in a position like this, it's very difficult, if not impossible, for a contractor to come in and safely remove the structure. So, we're looking to acquire the structures, remove them and restore the beach well before they get to that point, we're actively looking for sources of funding," said Hallac.
For a collapse, the homeowner is expected to foot the bill of a contractor cleanup. If the National Park Service is needed for the cleanup, the homeowner could also be billed for those efforts.
Watch: Second Rodanthe house in 2 days collapses into the ocean on the Outer Banks
Rick Foreman and his family have owned a house on GA Kohler Court since 2021 that now sits in the water, but it hasn't always been that way.
"We bought the house in 2021, at the time, we could drive right up to it park right next to it. We had to dig sand off the stairs, dig sand out of the shower. It was deep in sand, and there was beach in front of the house," said Foreman.
Foreman and his family understood that their house might be in danger in the future, but the hope was that Dare County might fund a beach nourishment project for Rodanthe.
"We weren't completely in the dark about that, but we kind of figured well, they're nourishing these other beaches. I mean, feet of sand have gone away versus prior to that. You lose three or four feet, now we've lost like eight or 10 feet. Nothing like this has really happened before," said Foreman.
Watch: Rodanthe homeowner cleaning up after 8th house in 4 years is claimed by sea
Foreman understands the aspect of Dare County and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore encouraging homeowners to move or destroy their homes before they are taken, but it's not just a simple fix for every homeowner.
“I think every situation is different. Every house is different. Every owner's different. Everybody's mortgage or debt situation or financial situation is different. So I don't think you could put a one size fits all on it by any stretch. Some people can afford to move them. Some people can't," said Foreman.
Foreman shared some of the frustrations he has and how homeowners in the area feel this area is neglected.
Watch: Rodanthe oceanfront homes being monitored during presence of high winds and surf
“One, the narrative kind of makes us sound like bad guys, and we really didn't do anything wrong. Two, the way we're treated in this area versus other parts of the Outer Banks where they get beach nourishment.”
On the insurance side, U.S. Congressman Greg Murphy has introduced legislation involving the National Flood Insurance Program in an effort to help homeowners out. What that involved can be found from the press release below:
- Authorizes NFIP payouts for structures condemned due to chronic erosion or unusual flooding.
- Allows advance payouts for demolition or relocation: up to 40% of the home’s value or $250,000.
- Limits payouts to 40% if owners neglect to act before a collapse.
- Reduces confusion in attributing damage to specific floods.
- Encourages proactive demolition or relocation to prevent collapses and reduce cleanup costs.
“There's no mechanism right now to access those monies before something would happen. It's going to be after, actually after something happens. We're allowing homeowners to access the National Flood Insurance Program and get monies to basically demolish their house if it's been condemned or it's not livable before it is taken by the ocean. So it's trying to be proactive," said Murphy.
Watch: Rodanthe home that used to be hundred yards from the water now sits in the ocean
But it still could be months before this legislation is voted on in Washington, D.C., and it's been brought up before with no action taken. Our continued reporting still shows that finding a funding source to address this issue remains the priority,
“There's a lot of money that's needed to really take care of all these things. And so it really is trying to look at what's going to be the best solution right now, while we're talking about other stabilization maneuvers or processes," said Murphy.
"Front Row Seats" was a foreclosed home that was expected to be demolished this week, but Mother Nature had other plans. We'll continue to work to get answers from leaders and elected officials about this issue, especially as numerous homes continue to be threatened by the ocean on a daily basis on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
