A home on the North Carolina coast collapses, 12th incident in five years

Another vacant home has fallen into the ocean on the North Carolina coast. WRAL News shares what homeowners can do before their house becomes the next victim
Posted 9/18/2025, 12:18:32 AM Updated 9/18/2025, 1:00:09 AM

PELLETS TO MAKE THE TRAINING

FEEL MORE REAL.

THIS VIDEO.

>> THIS PHOTO SHOWS WHAT IS

LEFT OF A BEACH FRONT HOME IN

BUXTON AFTER IT COLLAPSED

YESTERDAY. AND YOU KNOW, THIS

ONE JOINS A LONG LIST OF HOUSES

THAT IS COME CRASHING DOWN

ALONG THE OUTER BANKS, LEAVING

A DEBRIS OF WATER ON THE BEACH.

WRAL'S KIRSTEN CLARK SHOWS US

THERE IS NO EASY SOLUTION.

>> A MEMORY BANK CRASHING DOWN

ONE WAVE AT A TIME. THE HOME ON

TOWER CIRCLE ROAD IN BUXTON

IS THE 12TH TO COLLAPSE IN THE

AREA IN 5 YEARS. THERE'S

PROBABLY ABOUT 40 OF THEM.

THEY'RE SITTING RIGHT IN THE

SHORT BREAK.

>> AND I WOULD SAY OUT OF

THOSE. THERE'S PROBABLY.

ABOUT 4, 5, THAT LOOKS LIKE

THEY'RE KINDA.

>> WE'RE READY TO GO. I SPOKE

WITH DONNY BOWERS, A BUCKS TO

NATIVE WHO WAS RIGHT THERE ON

THE BEACH SHORTLY AFTER THE

HOUSE COLLAPSED, NOTHING GETS

ON ITSELF. IT'S ON THE VERGE

OF CATASTROPHIC.

>> AND THEN THE BEST THAT

ANYBODY CAN DO IS ABANDON THE

PILINGS WERE COMPROMISED DURING

HURRICANE ERIN AT IN HIGH

EROSION RATES AND YOU GET A

RECIPE FOR DISASTER.

>> IT IS A ROUTINE READ CORBETT

KNOWS ALL TOO WELL. HOW CAN YOU

ACTUALLY PREVENT THIS FROM

HAPPENING IT FROM GETTING

WORSE? WE NEED TO MAKE SOME

FAIRLY TOUGH DECISIONS. THESE

HOMES ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE.

THE PROCESS THAT'S LEADING TO

THESE CHALLENGES ISN'T GOING

AWAY. CORBETT SAYS BEACH

NOURISHMENT IS A TEMPORARY AND

EXPENSIVE FIX THAT WILL ONLY

BUY TIME BEFORE THE INEVITABLE.

THERE IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT

CARDEN SHORELINES JEDI'S.

>> THESE ARE NOT SOLUTIONS AND

THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT

SOLUTIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA

EARLIER THIS YEAR, LAWMAKERS

INTRODUCED BIPARTISAN

LEGISLATION THAT WOULD HELP

HOMEOWNERS DECIDE WHAT TO DO

BEFORE THEIR HOMES COLLAPSE.

BUT CORBETT'S, AS THIS IS ONLY

A START, I WANT TO WORK WITH

THESE HOMEOWNERS AND AND DARE

COUNTY AS A WHOLE TO

FIND SOLUTIONS.

>> IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY,

BUT WE NEED TO ENGAGE IN THESE

CONVERSATIONS. KIRSTEN CLARK,

WRAL NEWS, NOT GOING TO BE

EASY, NOT GOING TO BE CHINO

EITHER, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT.

>> PEOPLE IN BUXTON ARE BEING

ASKED TO AVOID THE NORTH END

OF THE BEACH. AUTHORITIES SAY

A PRE-EXISTING BEACH SAFETY