Report: The last house washed out to sea in the Outer Banks belonged to Pennsylvania residents

A house that was recently washed out to sea in the Outer Banks – the seventh such house to be washed out to sea in the last four years – belonged to Hershey residents, according to local media.

A video posted by Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Rescue shows the house being ripped from its pilings and swept into the water on Friday as Tropical Storm Ernesto passed offshore, creating high waves.

The house was located in the coastal village of Rodanthe, which lies on North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands north of Cape Hatteras and south of Nags Head. The structure was built in 1973 and is owned by an unidentified couple from Hershey, Pennsylvania, according to local news outlet Island Free Press.

The National Park Service office at Cape Hatteras National Seashore advised people to avoid surf in the Rodanthe area, noting that “many other homes appear to have sustained damage” and that “dangerous debris may be present on the beach and in the water for more than 12 miles.”

Cleanup efforts have begun in coordination with the homeowner, the park service said, and are expected to take several days. The park service advises visitors not to enter the water not only because of the dangerous ocean conditions, but also because the sewage systems of several homes have been compromised by flooding.

According to the park administration, at least seven houses have collapsed or been swept into the sea in the past four years as the beaches and dunes on which the houses were built continue to erode.

Much of this trend is attributed to climate change and the increasing waves it brings. According to an expert who spoke to The New York Times, sea levels over the Outer Banks islands have risen half a foot since 2020 and are expected to rise another foot by 2050.

The National Park Service has used money from offshore oil and gas leases to buy homes in the Hatteras area and proactively demolish them to avoid incidents like Friday’s, the Island Free Press reported.