Four Buxton oceanfront homes collapse amid coastal erosion

Four unoccupied oceanfront houses in Buxton on North Carolina's Outer Banks collapsed into the sea on Oct. 28 as powerful waves and coastal erosion undermined their foundations, the National Park Service said. The Park Service said the first collapse occurred at 10:45 a.m. on Ocean Drive, followed by a home on Tower Circle Road at 11 a.m., a second Ocean Drive house at 12:45 p.m. and another on Cottage Avenue at 1 p.m. The losses brought this year’s total to 15 private homes lost since mid-September, and 26 private homes to have collapsed along the seashore since 2020, officials said.

The Park Service attributed the collapses to ongoing coastal erosion driven by winds, waves and tides, coupled with the effects of recent storms and rising seas. Videos posted from the Buxton shoreline show a bright blue house already in the surf as waves break down its walls and floating debris washing up beneath other damaged structures. The clips were shared publicly on Oct. 28 by Jennifer Koontz.

Most of the homes lost this year have been in Buxton, with one earlier collapse recorded in Rodanthe. According to park officials, the first house to fall this season was on Tower Circle Road on Sept....