RODANTHE, N.C. — No matter how many times it happens, a house collapsing into the ocean remains a stunning scene. The number now sits at 11 in Rodanthe, six just this year, which surpasses the combined total between 2020 and 2023.
“It's going to take a multi pronged approach, where we can find ways to help homeowners through financial assistance. Others can find ways to assist with more flexible insurance remedies," said Dave Hallac, superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Watch previous coverage: House falls into ocean overnight in Rodanthe, marking the 6th collapse this year
Hallac has been the superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore for almost a decade and knows the presence of weather conditions like the Outer Banks is seeing Friday and through the weekend can be a perfect storm for a house collapse.
“We're concerned. There are supposed to be very strong winds. We're having another round of king tides, or exceptionally high tides, that combined with the elevated surf conditions, the strong winds, can sometimes be a recipe for a house collapse," said Hallac.
One Hatteras resident shared his frustrations with seeing house after house fall into the ocean saying, "it's time for a radically new approach as the NPS (National Park Service) has plainly failed on every conceivable level."
Watch previous coverage: Rodanthe homeowners taking steps to move their homes further away from the ocean
On the seashore side, Hallac shared it’s not easy for them to watch these houses go in and reinforced that this will continue to take time to find a solution.
“No precise solution yet, but I think, we'll get there over time. You know, it took decades for these houses to become threatened. It is going to take time to, find solutions, but I'm really optimistic," said Hallac.
Watch previous coverage: 10th home collapses into the ocean in Rodanthe since 2020
Time remains something that these houses do not have, including at least three on G.A. Kohler Court that sit next to the last three in the same area that fell in September. These houses might be next with these weather conditions continuing through the weekend and heading into the winter and spring.
"I would say we're going to continue to see this for for the foreseeable future. Certainly during the winter time, we tend to have rougher ocean conditions, and we can have things like nor'easters that come in, and each one of those systems will pose a unique threat to any of these homes that are out on the beach or standing in the water," said Hallac.
