Wednesday, August 19, 2026
By Outer Banks Voice on November 7, 2025
Update: The Buxton Civic Association is reporting it has already received 66 emails from individuals who want to be included in volunteering for debris cleanup efforts.
On Friday, Nov. 7, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) provided an update on debris cleanup following the collapse of 14 oceanfront homes in Buxton since Sept. 30.
Since Oct. 3, CHNS staff have collected approximately 500 pickup truck loads of debris associated with the 14 houses that have collapsed since Sept. 30. A total of 78 pickup truck loads have been collected by staff since last week.
There are varying levels of debris remaining on and near the beach that staff will work to collect—by hand, heavy equipment, and a mechanized beach rake—in the coming weeks.
A significant quantity of small wood, foam, plastic, and miscellaneous debris remains in back-dune wetlands and a large pond in the area south of the Village of Buxton. We have also received reports and observed minor amounts of apparent debris from recent Buxton house collapses on Ocracoke Island, within Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and on the North Core Banks, located at Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Dare County has announced that its debris removal contractor, Dupon, will return to conduct a storm debris collection in the Buxton area on Monday, Nov. 17. It has asked residents, if possible, to place debris in front of collection crews in areas that have not yet been cleared, using the east side right-of-way.
Several days ago, the Buxton Civic Association (BCA) announced its plan to create an email list of individuals who wish to be notified and potentially assist in additional debris cleanup events.
“When we organized the beach clean-up post Hurricane Erin, we never intended to become the default organizers or coordinators for subsequent events,” the BCA said in a Facebook post on Nov. 4. “*However*, what we have quickly learned is that there is a significant lack of a clear direction, sources of information, or leadership. As a civic association, we do feel like this is an area where we can step up and serve our community.
The amount of people who have reached out after the recent multiple bouts of bad weather, collapsed homes, erosion events, etc. has been both overwhelming and heartwarming.
Not every event is going to be significant enough that Dare County or any other government entity steps in to provide dumpsters or pickup. Some cleanups will need able-bodied folks with chainsaws and trailers while others will have space for smaller debris pickup and room for all individuals and even families.”
Anyone interested in being on the notification list for future clean-up events is asked to email buxtoncivic@gmail.com.
Comments
Ted
It’s going to be a long winter on Hatteras Island.
Steve J
Big thank you to all the volunteers to help clean up! Great people, wish we could say the same for the former rental machine owners who took their 250k payouts and quietly went back to their home state with their wonderful memories about our beaches. Don’t worry, our residents will fix it up so they can return next year and use their money to buy another rental machine until it’s gone. After all, why not? There is no risk in it, we’ll pay for it!