Five coastal homes collapse as hurricanes ravage North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Five unoccupied homes have collapsed and been swept into the Atlantic Ocean along North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Tuesday as powerful waves from hurricanes Humberto and Imelda slam the southeastern coast.

The collapses all occurred in Buxton within about 45 minutes, starting about 2 p.m. ET, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials. There are no reports of any injuries.

“It was insane, it sounded like bombs going off,” local resident Hunter Hicks told FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne. “Windows were cracking, pylons were cracking, houses were just washing all the way down the ocean. It’s pretty bad here right now.”

Three of the homes that collapsed were neighbors on Cottage Avenue, and two other neighboring homes fell on nearby Tower Circle Road.

“All the houses are taking a beating. It’s devastating,” photographer Jenni Koontz told FOX Weather. “I think the damage is unmeasurable at this point. As a local that lives here, it’s heartbreaking, not only for the homeowners, but for the community where we live.”

She said the massive debris piles have merged, making it difficult to know what debris belonged to what house.

“I don’t know how this is gonna be cleaned up very quickly. There’s a lot of debris,” Koontz said. “I think we’re just getting started. I think the rest of the week is going to be just as intense, if not more, we’re gonna have more houses falling in for sure.”

Hicks said there were people renting some of those homes just a month ago, but had to evacuate ahead of the storms.  

“It’s very upsetting,” Hicks said.

Both hurricanes are steering clear of the Eastern Seaboard, but powerful waves are expected to batter the coast through the week.

Coastal Flood Warnings remain in effect for Ocracoke Island until Friday evening for ocean inundation of 2-3 feet above ground level, with locally deeper waters with higher wave action.

“(This will result) in an elevated threat of property damage,” the National Weather Service warned. “Flooding will likely extend inland from the waterfront threatening some homes, businesses and critical infrastructure.”

North Carolina’s Highway 12 was shut down along the north end of Ocracoke Island as increasing ocean overwash has made travel conditions dangerous along the highway, North Carolina Department of Transportation officials said.

With several more days of heavy surf in the forecast, Koontz said more vulnerable homes will likely be lost this week.

“Yeah, so those houses are all hanging on by a thread,” Koontz said, pointing to homes still standing yet now consistently perched over the surf. “A lot of them are missing a lot of pilings that are holding them up, and they’re slowly losing more and more. Some of the homes are braced and a little bit stronger, but for the most part, they’re all vulnerable.

“And this beach is just getting started with the weather. So I imagine there’s going to be many more that fall.”