RODANTHE, N.C. — Two homes in Rodanthe on the North Carolina Outer Banks collapsed into the ocean in a matter of hours on Tuesday.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore shared video of a home on Ocean Drive crumbling into the waves in the afternoon.
Just hours earlier, another Ocean Drive home fell into the seashore.
No one was inside either of the homes.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore said the beach near Ocean Drive is closed and law enforcement officials will close the road too. Visitors are cautioned to stay away from the area.
Three homes in Rodanthe have collapsed into the ocean so far this year.
On Feb. 9, another home on Ocean Drive fell into the seashore due to erosion, according to officials. The debris spread across many miles of beaches before the homeowner and volunteers efforted a cleanup event. Most of the debris was removed, but some smaller pieces of debris are still being found from this home, NPS said.
“Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future,” said David Hallac, superintendent, National Parks of Eastern North Carolina. “We proactively reached out to homeowners along Ocean Drive in Rodanthe after the first house collapse and recommended that actions be taken to prevent collapse and impacts to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”
Cape Hatteras National Seashore said it will be working closely with the homeowners to coordinate cleanup.