Overview
- National Park Service officials confirmed five unoccupied houses in Buxton fell on Tuesday, prompting expanded closures on Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
- The National Weather Service posted coastal flood, gale and high surf warnings through midweek, and authorities cautioned that N.C. 12 could face ocean overwash and difficult travel conditions.
- More than two dozen privately owned homes on the seashore have collapsed since 2020, with at least a dozen lost in the past month, and no injuries reported.
- Debris from the latest failures is littering the beach and surf, and officials are contacting property owners about removal while warning visitors to stay out of the water near the collapse zone.
- Park officials say additional structures could fail in coming days, as state and local leaders press long-term responses that include planned 2026 beach-nourishment and jetty repair projects and renewed calls for action from the state insurance commissioner.