Atlantic ocean swallows five Buxton homes amid stormy weather

The relentless Atlantic Ocean destroyed five more oceanfront homes in Buxton marking the accelerating coastal erosion crisis on the Outer Banks.

The unoccupied houses collapsed over several hours as powerful wind gusts exceeding 50mph and high tides battered the shoreline.

As reported by the National Park Service, the house collapsed between the late morning and afternoon on Tuesday, October 28.

With these recent collapses, the total of collapsed homes adds up to 26 on Hatteras Island since 2020. This statistics highlights the severe environmental pressures reshaping the coastline.

Jennifer Koontz, a local photographer, highlighted the landscapes of homes surrounding Buxton.

“If you haven’t been here since June and you came back, you would not even think you were in the same place,” she stated.

From 1980 to 2020, the region’s fragility is well-observed with experts noting that the shoreline retreated by an average of 13.5ft per year.

The factors behind the devastating impact on coastal homes are a combination of geography, lack of protective sea walls and rising levels.

These have created a perfect storm of vulnerability highlighting that even distant hurricanes can cause millions in damage.