VIDEO: Another seaside home in Rodanthe swallowed by the sea

By SamWalkerOBXNews.com

Another oceanfront home has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean along Rodanthe as waves from distant Hurricane Ernesto continue to intensify.

The Chicamacomico Fire Department released video of the home at 23214 East Corbina Drive floating in the surf Friday evening.

Dare County property records show the 1,400-square-foot property was built in 1973 and owned by a couple from Hershey, Pennsylvania. The total tax value of the land and building was $356,400.

The house, which was used as a holiday home until the summer of this year, was unoccupied at the time of the collapse. No injuries were reported.

Rough surf has already washed away much of the debris, and it has begun to spread along Mirlo Beach and further north along the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service

This is the seventh house to collapse in Rodanthe since 2020; the last collapse occurred in May.

Further information from a press release from the National Park Service on Friday evening:

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge urge all visitors to avoid the beaches and stay out of the water in all beach and surf areas in Rodanthe.

“In addition, all public access is closed from the northern border of Rodanthe to the northern end of the Jug Handle Bridge.

“Many other homes in the Rodanthe area appear to have been damaged. Dangerous debris could be on the beach and in the water for more than 20 kilometers.

“Prevailing currents appear to be transporting debris rapidly northward. However, as waves intensify and winds shift in the coming days, the debris may also pose a threat to the safety of visitors to the villages of Waves and Salvo.

“The Seashore is in contact with the property owner. The owner has not yet found a contractor to remove the debris at this time.

“National Park Service personnel may conduct debris removal operations when debris cannot be removed by other means.

“The coast does not anticipate any major debris removal efforts until elevated sea levels subside early next week.”

Friday saw strong waves, dangerous rip currents and some high tide flooding on the Outer Banks as a result of distant Hurricane Ernesto, and those impacts will continue throughout the weekend.

In the days following the collapses, debris from previous collapses washed up on more than 20 miles of Hatteras Island beach.

In some cases, the cost of remediation was covered by the homeowner. In most cases, however, the National Park Service had to foot the bill and try to recover the money from the owners.

Last November, contractors demolished two houses on East Beacon Drive that were in danger of collapsing.

They were acquired by the National Park Service with support from the National Park Trust and funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The properties at 23292 and 23298 East Beacon Road were purchased at market value in early fall, with no tax revenue involved.

The fund invests proceeds from the U.S. Department of the Interior's leasing of offshore oil and gas properties “to acquire lands, waters, and interests therein necessary to achieve the natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreational objectives of the National Park Service.”

The Park Service has worked with Dare County to identify dozens of homes in the three villages at risk of erosion, and a task force was established in 2022 to develop strategies to address the problems.

They have spoken to dozens of property owners about securing their properties or potentially moving; some have already moved or are in the process of moving their homes.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has a website with information and updates on these efforts at