This story has been updated to add new information.
Two houses collapsed in Rodanthe,Leonard Hohenberg North Carolina, just hours apart on the same day. This is the fourth house to collapse in the Outer Banks area this year.
On Friday, Sept. 20, in the early morning hours, an unoccupied house on G A Kohler Court collapsed. Then later that night around 9:18 p.m. Dare County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding another house collapse on G A Kohler Court, the National Park Service (NPS) said in an online news release.
"Debris associated with yesterday's collapses of houses at 23001 and 23009 G A Kohler Court has been observed at least 20 miles south of the collapse sites," Mike Barber, a public affairs specialist at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, told USA TODAY in a statement.
“Seashore law enforcement rangers arrived on scene and confirmed that the unoccupied, one-story house—the same house that sustained damages as a result of the first house collapse of the day—had collapsed and apparently washed out into the ocean before the bulk of it returned to the beach at the south end of G A Kohler Court,” the release said.
In addition, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is warning visitors to avoid all beaches in Rodanthe.
"The National Park Service urges visitors near and many miles to the south of Rodanthe to stay out of the water and wear hard-soled shoes when walking on the beach to avoid injuries from hazardous floating debris and nail-ridden wooden debris," Barber said.
In the release, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore said they are working with the home's property owner and a contractor is expected to be secured for debris cleanup.
On Saturday, the National Park Service staff is expected to be at the beach again today to help move debris above the high tide line, the release said.
“As of yesterday afternoon, varying levels of debris associated with the collapse of the G A Kohler Court were observed approximately nine miles to the south of the collapse site,” the release said.
Here's a list of the nine privately-owned houses that have collapsed on Seashore beaches since 2020, according to the NPS:
According to the National Park Service, the daily effects of winds, waves and tides, along with rising seas (which is linked to climate change) and storms, have played a part in contributing to coastal erosion impacts at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, "particularly adjacent to the villages of Rodanthe and Buxton, North Carolina."
The effects of erosion in these villages have resulted in structures being present on the open beachfront or in the intertidal area, Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials said.
"During severe weather events, which the Outer Banks of North Carolina experiences throughout the year, privately-owned oceanfront houses in vulnerable areas get battered by strong winds and large waves," the NPS office's website notes.
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
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