OUTER BANKS, N.C. — Five oceanfront houses in Buxton collapsed on Tuesday, bringing the total number of home collapses on Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches since 2020 to 27.
Seashore officials say two homes, located at 46002 Ocean Drive and 46223 Tower Circle Road fell around 10:45 and 11 a.m., respectively. Around 12:45 p.m., a home at 46003 Ocean Drive — near one of the houses that collapsed earlier Tuesday — also fell. A fourth home located on 46016 Cottage Avenue fell about 15 minutes after around 1 p.m. A few hours later around 4:30 p.m., a home located at 46213 Tower Circle Road fell.
All five homes were unoccupied.
Of the 15 Buxton homes that have collapsed this year, eight were located on Tower Circle Road and five were on Cottage Avenue. Aside from a Rodanthe home that fell earlier this month, every house collapse on the Seashore this year has been in Buxton.
Prior to the collapses, Seashore officials warned the public about threatened oceanfront structures in Rodanthe and Buxton amid the hazardous weather conditions.
WTKR Tony Nargi says strong onshore winds from a coastal storm have brought waves up to 10 feet along the Outer Banks Tuesday morning. A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect for the Outer Banks until 8 p.m. Wednesday as the storm causes more coastal erosion along the shoreline.
The collapses are part of a troubling trend on the Outer Banks. National Park Service data shows more oceanfront homes on Seashore beaches are falling each year: One house collapsed in 2020, followed by three in 2022 and one in 2023. Those numbers have grown in recent years, with six collapses in 2024 and 16 so far in 2025.
The loss of the homes has sparked discussions about how to protect threatened oceanfront structures. One solution that's been underway includes moving homes further away from the water, but community members and officials are still working to take other preventative measures.
