Seven North Carolina beachfront homes collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean since Tuesday, including six in less than 24 hours as hurricanes passed offshore.
The seventh home collapsed just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday in Buxton. Town officials said the home was unoccupied before it collapsed.
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Laura Moore, a professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s College of Arts Sciences’ Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences department, has studied patterns along the coast and the impact of climate change.
“It’s such a difficult problem for those who are experiencing it firsthand,” Moore said.
The six homes collapsing Tuesday and the seventh on Wednesday brings the total to 19 during the last five years in the Rodanthe and Buxton area.
"Unfortunately, Buxton and Rodanthe are one of these places where there is not enough sand coming in to replace the sand that is coming out by long-shore currents and so the shoreline is moving land where chronically the shoreline is eroding,” Moore said.
Many people suggest spending money on beach renourishment to protect the coastal homes.
"What's particularly challenging in these areas is the amount of sand that would be needed to counter the long-term erosion, the quantities are large, the frequency would have to be so often that it's really extremely expensive," Moore said.
Moore says there's an expected increase in the frequency of severe storms due to climate change. Those storms are occurring on higher water levels than in the past and they are more intense.
WRAL News asked Moore what the solution is to coastal erosion.
“If we want the landscape to persist in the long-term, the ideal solution is to adapt with it in some way,” Moore said.
Humberto and Imelda remain offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. However, ocean overwash from the storms has breached the dune line and pushed deep sand and water onto the road.
WRAL News has reported about how many sea level rise experts believe there are areas of barrier islands that are not ideal for development.
Rodanthe has become the focal point in the national conversation about the impacts of climate change on sea level rise in coastal areas.
When homes fall, they leave behind dangerous debris that can scatter for miles along the shoreline.
Oftentimes, property owners are forced by the conditions of their insurance to wait until a home collapses. Then, they can collect their insurance money.