Another beachfront stilt house collapses into the surf on the Outer Banks

BUXTON, N.C. — A beachfront stilt home along the Outer Banks in North Carolina has collapsed into the surf, bringing the total number of houses claimed by the Atlantic Ocean to 12 in the past five years.

The two-story, wood-shingled home at the north end of Hatteras Island collapsed Tuesday afternoon, littering the sand with nail-studded debris. The house was unoccupied, said Mike Barber, a spokesman for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

“Seashore staff are out today, cleaning up the beach to the south of the collapse site,” Barber said in an email Wednesday. He said the homeowner has also hired a contractor to “work primarily near the house collapse site to remove the bulk of the remaining house structure and nearby debris associated with the collapse.”

An unoccupied beach house collapsed into the ocean while being battered by waves from the coastal storm on Tuesday in Buxton, North Carolina.

It's the 12th house that has collapsed in the area since 2020 (two others were also removed).⁣ pic.twitter.com/5wSz3scY5W

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) September 17, 2025

The previous 11 home collapses since May 2020 were all in the tiny village of Rodanthe, the eastern-most point in North Carolina, and made famous by novelist Nicholas Sparks. During the state’s recent brush with Hurricane Erin, many locals were watching two beachfront houses there, but they survived the surf.

The latest house to succumb was less than a mile from the famed Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which was moved 2,900 feet inland in 1999 to save it from erosion. It was one of about three dozen structures — including portions of two hotels — along that beach that were decertified for occupancy in late August, when Erin skirted the coast, said Dare County Planning Director Noah Gillman.

“The erosion in Buxton has significantly increased in the past couple of years,” Gillman said Wednesday. “And that continued increased erosion, compiled with the effects of Hurricane Erin, got us to the point we are today.”

The aftermath of the twelfth Outer Banks home claimed by the sea in the past five years. This Buxton home was unoccupied at the time — but there's many other homes in the area that are also at risk. https://t.co/74efz7vBcf pic.twitter.com/8kf5kNzRGB

— WTKR News 3 (@WTKR3) September 17, 2025

Gillman said the decertifications were because of damage to the septic system and external stairs. He said it is up to the property owners to decide whether to do the work required to come back into compliance.