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4 Rodanthe homes condemned day after house collapses into ocean

The condemnation comes a day after another house in Rodanthe collapsed into the ocean.

RODANTHE, N.C. — Four oceanfront homes in Rodanthe, North Carolina were condemned Monday due to impacts from high surf and erosion, Dare County Planning Director Noah Gillam told 13News Now.

The homes, located on Ga Kohler Court, had their power pulled and were "decertified for occupancy" because their wastewater systems had been damaged and because the "means of egress/ingress to the structure" have been affected by the surf, Gillam said.

He could not say specifically that the homes are in jeopardy of collapsing, but they were condemned the same day a neighboring house on East Point Drive collapsed into the ocean.

Gilliam added that Dare County officials are monitoring the oceanfront properties to make sure that any structures with damaged wastewater systems or other structural issues are deemed uninhabitable until homeowners can correct the code violations.

The homes are close to the North Carolina Highway 12 roundabout that leads to the Jug Handle Bridge, and officials have asked the public to use caution while in that area due to the debris from the home that collapsed. 

"In an effort to protect Cape Hatteras National Seashore's natural resources and help ensure the safety of visitors, the National Park Service began cleaning the beach [Tuesday] morning," said Mike Barber with the National Park Service.

He said "varying levels of debris" from the home were reported on Seashore beaches between the north end of Rodanthe and the south end of Avon.

Barber said the Park Service would also likely organize a volunteer beach cleanup event soon. 

RELATED | How can this rapidly eroding Outer Banks town stop homes from falling into the ocean?

Rodanthe is eroding up to around 12 feet a year, according to some estimates. To address the problem, several residents have called for a beach nourishment project, when sand is dredged from miles offshore and pumped onto the beach.

Dare County spent almost $72 million in 2022 for beach nourishment in Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Avon, and Buxton, but not in Rodanthe. 

A beach nourishment project in Rodanthe would cost about $30 million.

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