RODANTHE — Contractors on Monday continued to remove debris strewn along miles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches following the collapse Friday evening of a multilevel, unoccupied beach house into the Atlantic.
No injuries were reported in connection with the collapse. Seashore officials have closed public entry to the beaches from the northern boundary of Rodanthe to the northern end of the 2.4-mile Rodanthe, or “jug handle,” bridge.
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The 1,428 square-foot house at 23214 Corbina Drive was built in 1973. The four-bed, two-bath structure used as a vacation rental was sold in 2018 for $339,000, according to real estate websites.
This is the seventh structure since May 2020 to crumble into the ocean in the unincorporated community on Hatteras Island in Dare County.
Cape Hatteras seashore and Pea Island refuge teams coordinated with the owner of the house to manage cleanup, which began around 1 p.m. Saturday.
“The homeowner’s contractor continues to clean up the beach,” Seashore Public Affairs Specialist Mike Barber told Coastal Review Monday. “As of yesterday, debris was spotted approximately 11 miles north of the collapse site in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.”
Park officials said in an update Sunday that several other threatened structures in northern Rodanthe suffered “substantial damage” and they are communicating with the county on a detailed assessment of the associated debris and hazards.
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“Coordination will occur between house owners, rental property management companies, and the Seashore once elevated surf conditions subside, and the full extent of damage is known,” officials said.
In Buxton, there is “ongoing erosion and elevated surf conditions” that have resulted in ocean overwash under many homes and into neighborhoods, as well.
“Hazardous debris, broken from beachfront houses, may be present on the beach and in the water. Seashore staff have observed evidence of compromised septic systems; therefore, the Seashore is advising that the public should not go in the water until follow up inspections are made,” officials added Sunday.
The National Park Service has devoted a webpage to the threatened oceanfront structures that border the seashore and action being taken.
