Outer Banks home falls into the ocean, highlighting a grim trend. See the photos.

Though hundreds of miles away, Hurricane Ernesto managed to send a North Carolina home into the Atlantic Ocean.

David Artavia
·Reporter
·2 min read
2.4k
Debris from an unoccupied North Carolina beach house that collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean on Friday due to winds and waves caused by Hurricane Ernesto.
Debris from an unoccupied North Carolina beach house that collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean on Friday due to winds and waves caused by Hurricane Ernesto. (Cape Hatteras National Seashore/AP)

On Friday, residents of Rodanthe in North Carolina's Outer Banks witnessed another unfortunate, yet increasingly common, event: a house collapsing into the ocean.

The combination of high tides and waves from Hurricane Ernesto, which was hundreds of miles away, contributed to the latest collapse that took place at Hatteras Island in Rodanthe. No one was inside the home at the time, according to reports.

Rodanthe, a community of roughly 184 residents, has lost seven homes to the ocean in the past four years, according to the National Park Service. Much of that may be attributed to climate change, according to the New York Times.

Officials warn that more homes are at risk as Ernesto continues to affect the East Coast, though the storm is not expected to make landfall in the United States. The National Hurricane Center warned that Ernesto will bring potentially “life-threatening” rip currents and high surf along the East Coast, particularly in North Carolina and South Carolina, over the next couple of days.

Here are some photographs of the aftermath of Friday’s house collapse — as well as images of Rodanthe’s coast erosion over the years.

Ocean waves erode the beach behind 12 beachfront houses on Seagull Street on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2022.
Ocean waves erode the beach behind 12 beachfront houses on Seagull Street on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2022. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
Water and sand cover Seagull Street, which was completely flooded by Atlantic Ocean waves in 2022.
Water and sand cover Seagull Street, which was completely flooded by Atlantic Ocean waves in 2022. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
A worker from the North Carolina Department of Transportation clears ocean-driven sand from Surfside Drive on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
A worker from the North Carolina Department of Transportation clears ocean-driven sand from Surfside Drive on North Carolina's Outer Banks. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
Outer Banks residents stand where a swimming pool once stood in their beachfront backyard on the Outer Banks in 2022.
Outer Banks residents stand where a swimming pool once stood in their beachfront backyard on the Outer Banks in 2022. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
The beach, shown in 2023, is rapidly eroding along the shoreline adjacent to Ocean Drive.
The beach, shown in 2023, is rapidly eroding along the shoreline adjacent to Ocean Drive. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Rodanthe, N.C., beachfront home on the bottom right, shown in January 2023, was felled by Atlantic Ocean waves in March 2023.
The Rodanthe, N.C., beachfront home on the bottom right, shown in January 2023, was felled by Atlantic Ocean waves in March 2023. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
Ocean waves slowly erode the beachfront on the Outer Banks in 2023.
Ocean waves slowly erode the beachfront on the Outer Banks in 2023. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)
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