Additional Coverage:
- 5 homes collapse as waves from Hurricanes Imelda, Humberto slam North Carolina’s Outer Banks (foxweather.com)
Buxton, N.C. – Five Homes Succumb to Powerful Ocean Waves on Outer Banks
BUXTON, N.C. – Five unoccupied homes collapsed and were swept into the Atlantic Ocean along North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Tuesday, as powerful waves generated by Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda slammed the southeastern coast.
The rapid destruction unfolded in Buxton over approximately 45 minutes, beginning around 2 p.m. ET, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
“It was insane, it sounded like bombs going off,” local resident Hunter Hicks told reporters. “Windows were cracking, pylons were cracking, houses were just washing all the way down the ocean. It’s pretty bad here right now.”
Three of the lost homes were neighbors on Cottage Avenue, while two others fell on nearby Tower Circle Road. Hicks noted that some of these properties were rented just a month ago, adding to the local distress. “It’s very upsetting,” he added.
Photographer Jenni Koontz described the scene as devastating. “All the houses are taking a beating.
It’s devastating,” she said. “I think the damage is unmeasurable at this point.
As a local that lives here, it’s heartbreaking, not only for the homeowners, but for the community where we live.” Koontz observed that the massive debris piles have merged, making it difficult to discern which debris belonged to which house, and expressed concern about the daunting cleanup ahead.
While both hurricanes are steering clear of the Eastern Seaboard, powerful waves are expected to continue battering the coast throughout the week. Coastal Flood Warnings remain in effect for Ocracoke Island until Friday evening, anticipating ocean inundation of 2-3 feet above ground level, with locally deeper waters and higher wave action.
The National Weather Service has warned that this situation “will result in an elevated threat of property damage,” with flooding likely to extend inland, threatening some homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Travel has already been impacted, with North Carolina’s Highway 12 shut down along the north end of Ocracoke Island due to dangerous ocean overwash, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
With several more days of heavy surf in the forecast, Koontz predicts more homes are likely to be lost. “Yeah, so those houses are all hanging on by a thread,” she said, pointing to structures still standing but precariously perched over the surf.
“A lot of them are missing a lot of pilings that are holding them up, and they’re slowly losing more and more… for the most part, they’re all vulnerable. And this beach is just getting started with the weather.
So I imagine there’s going to be many more that fall.”