October 12: Shortened Duck Jazz Fest draws enthusiastic crowd/ Dare LWV to host forum for Ed Board candidates/ Man charged with felony hit-and-run in Ocracoke incident.
Photo of collapsed house at 23047 G.A. Kohler Court, Rodanthe. (Photo credit: Cape Hatteras National Seashore)
Photo of collapsed house at 23047 G.A. Kohler Court, Rodanthe. (Photo credit: Cape Hatteras National Seashore)
Photo of collapsed house at 23047 G.A. Kohler Court, Rodanthe. (Photo credit: Cape Hatteras National Seashore)
Oct. 3 at 6:45 p.m. Update: The Cape Hatteras National Seashore reports that an unoccupied house collapsed shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3 at 23047 G.A. Kohler Court, Rodanthe. It is the ninth house to fall on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore since Tuesday afternoon, with the other eight homes falling in Buxton. The latest home collapse occurred on the day that National Park Staff begin a debris cleanup in Buxton.
Seashore staff are responding to the collapse and plan to begin initial cleanup efforts tomorrow, Oct. 4. Seashore visitors should stay away from the collapsed house site and use caution for miles to the south of the site, particularly between G.A. Kohler Court and Atlantic Drive, due to the presence of potentially hazardous debris.
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Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff receive a safety briefing before starting cleanup efforts. 10-03-2025. ( Photos by NPS- Cape Hatteras National Seashore)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff begin debris cleanup efforts associated with the collapse of eight houses in Buxton on October 3, 2025. (NPS Photos)
The cleanup begins in Buxton
Photos by Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Update: On Friday, Oct. 3, Dare County reported that county staff met in Buxton today with the county’s debris removal company to plan the cleanup of material from the collapsed homes. Homeowners of the impacted homes have hired local contractors to move debris into designated right-of-way areas along Old Lighthouse Road that have been marked with cones. Once debris has been placed in those areas, the county’s contractor will collect it and ensure proper disposal. A removal schedule will be announced as soon as it is finalized.
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Approximately 40 Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff began working on Buxton debris cleanup efforts Friday, Oct. 3.
Since the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 30, a total of eight oceanfront houses collapsed amid the impacts of Humberto and Imelda. Since 2020, a total of 20 houses have collapsed on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
One would think it would be a good idea for Insurance company’s to settle before the houses collapse , so the home owners could be held responsible for removing the structures before it becomes the tax payers burden. So much for preventing our fragile environment from the harmful effects of pollution and garbage. I sure would like to see a study on the effects of such an obvious problem . NOT…
Even better, how about some numbers on how many times the houses have been flipped.
How many times the septic tanks & drain fields have been destroyed by previous storms and replaced and covered up to be rented as quickly as possible.
How about testing the soil around Old Lighthouse Rd. and see what the fecal content is.
And don’t forget that pesky petroleum and chemical leak from the former Naval Base a few hundred yards south………………….
Oh my! Fecal matter in the ground! Not my fecal matter, mine is fresh and odiferous and is used to plant award winning roses! Let’s keep whining about the house debris!
Whining?? Calling out a Totally Preventable environmental exposure event is calling it like it is. So it is rectified by law makers. This is not complaining about personal preferences. Look up NESHAP (National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollution) under EPA regulations – Required testing before building demolition. It identifies for removal hazardous materials, which older buildings most likely contain. And the owners alone prevented this testing and removal from happening. Because they wanted more compensation from insurance than the Park Service offered. Got it?
I keep reading that insurance won’t pay until the house falls. It’s hard for me to believe that any insurance company would actually write coverage for these endangered houses. Does anyone know the real facts in these cases?
Betty, what I wrote above is what happened. There is a defined payout for basic land value (who had insurance). It doesn’t cover the actual value of the building, but it is more than the Park Service offer. And it was offered well before this became an issue… like almost 2 years ago.
If they had insurance, they are getting paid a set amount for the loss of property (it’s capped) not the actual value of the structure. It’s defined the same for all of them, but it’s more than they were offered in buyout by the Park Service.
JUST SAYING
One would think it would be a good idea for Insurance company’s to settle before the houses collapse , so the home owners could be held responsible for removing the structures before it becomes the tax payers burden. So much for preventing our fragile environment from the harmful effects of pollution and garbage. I sure would like to see a study on the effects of such an obvious problem . NOT…
The Mate
It would be interesting to know how much revenue those rentals brought in over 50 years. Not that the money stayed here, but what was the ROI?
Ted
Mother Ocean has had enough. She’s not fooling around anymore.
Human Utensil for the Rich
Even better, how about some numbers on how many times the houses have been flipped.
How many times the septic tanks & drain fields have been destroyed by previous storms and replaced and covered up to be rented as quickly as possible.
How about testing the soil around Old Lighthouse Rd. and see what the fecal content is.
And don’t forget that pesky petroleum and chemical leak from the former Naval Base a few hundred yards south………………….
Fuarock
Safety briefing…
Alright guys, we are Hi-VIS, so were good there, but…
We’re just here to evaulaute, we can’t do anything, we are just for show.
Human Utensil for the Poor
Oh my! Fecal matter in the ground! Not my fecal matter, mine is fresh and odiferous and is used to plant award winning roses! Let’s keep whining about the house debris!
Steve J
Whining?? Calling out a Totally Preventable environmental exposure event is calling it like it is. So it is rectified by law makers. This is not complaining about personal preferences. Look up NESHAP (National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollution) under EPA regulations – Required testing before building demolition. It identifies for removal hazardous materials, which older buildings most likely contain. And the owners alone prevented this testing and removal from happening. Because they wanted more compensation from insurance than the Park Service offered. Got it?
Betty R.
I keep reading that insurance won’t pay until the house falls. It’s hard for me to believe that any insurance company would actually write coverage for these endangered houses. Does anyone know the real facts in these cases?
Steve J
Betty, what I wrote above is what happened. There is a defined payout for basic land value (who had insurance). It doesn’t cover the actual value of the building, but it is more than the Park Service offer. And it was offered well before this became an issue… like almost 2 years ago.
Steve J
If they had insurance, they are getting paid a set amount for the loss of property (it’s capped) not the actual value of the structure. It’s defined the same for all of them, but it’s more than they were offered in buyout by the Park Service.
Charles
Note to self, do NOT go into the ocean the rest of 2024.
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
It’s 2025, but I get the point.
Charles
Haha.. Thanks for the correction Mark. Was looking for that edit button right after I hit submit
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
I hear ya.