RODANTHE, N.C. — Walking the beach in Rodanthe might come with it avoiding pieces of wood, wires and metal. Mostly attributed to house collapses, including three in the same week in late September.
Though the majority of the homes have been cleaned up within the week they fell, some of the debris was buried and some is just coming back from the high surf that's present in the fall and winter on the Outer Banks.
Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, said they understand the difficult position these homeowners are in, but it’s their responsibility to prevent a collapse or clean up what's left behind.
Watch: Third Rodanthe house in the past week collapses in the Outer Banks
“I just want to reiterate that these were private homes, the owners were warned. Ultimately, this is something that the owners allowed to happen," said Hallac.
Paul Troy and his family owned their house on G.A. Kohler Court since 2008. His was the first of three to go within one week on September 19. Pictures from vacationers showed his house in the water in the middle of the night. Troy had a contractor on hand for clean-up and expected to be notified as soon as possible, but said he did not hear about it until early the morning of September 20.
“From all the conversations that I had with the Park Service, it was never mentioned 'it's your responsibility to know when it falls.' They know I don't live in that area, but they know I had the proper system or steps set in place to try to keep as much of that trash and debris from going down the beach system," said Troy.
Watch: Second Rodanthe house in 2 days collapses into the ocean on the Outer Banks
“We're not watching these houses all day long to let the owner know when they collapse. It's the owner's responsibility to be aware of their property and to be aware of when it collapses," said Hallac.
Troy paid more than $30,000 for his clean-up and Hallac said the CHNS crews have put out between $10,000 and $15,000 related to clean-up efforts on their side, a bill they expect to be spread across the three homeowners of the recent collapses.
“I don't know how to respond to it yet. We didn't ask for their help. We didn't need their help. We were a good ways into having it all cleaned up before the next house fell, but we continued to work through it," said Troy.
How to handle the structures and ultimately the clean-ups is an issue that continues to be an issue.
Watch: Rodanthe homeowner cleaning up after 8th house in 4 years is claimed by sea
“This is an issue that will continue as long as erosion continues in these rapidly eroding areas like Rodanthe and Buxton, and if owners do not move their homes out of the way of the ocean, we will continue to have collapses," said Hallac.
On the homeowner side, Troy believes we’ll continue to see a disconnect from homeowners, insurance companies, CHNS and Dare County.
“I don't see a plan that works for everybody, basically, and that to me, is what it should be," said Troy.
Hallac said he remains optimistic that progress will be made on this issue and had this to say about concerns that the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is not doing enough to prevent this.
Watch: Rodanthe oceanfront homes being monitored during presence of high winds and surf
"We are doing everything we can to urge the owners of these threatened oceanfront structures to remove their houses out of harm's way, out of the wrath of the ocean, before the homes are impacted, and certainly before they collapse. We're sorry that that situation is occurring, but ultimately this situation, is the result of choices that the owners are making," said Hallac.
The ultimate goal from the many stakeholders involved in this issue is stopping litter from going into the ocean. Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Dare County continue to provide updates on securing funding sources to address the issue, including a grant that can help pay for the houses before they collapse, but it’s clear that how to do that, at least in the short term, remains unknown.
