A drone video captured a stark moment on North Carolina's Outer Banks: A beachfront house in Buxton was being pounded by heavy waves just hours before it collapsed into the ocean.
What's happening?
Jenni Koontz of Epic Shutter Photography sent up her drone Tuesday evening to check on a beachfront home that had been compromised as rough conditions battered the coast, ABC 11 reported.
In the video, Koontz (@epicshutterphotography) captured waves slamming into the structure at high tide. Flooding was visible near Highway 12, the narrow road that runs close to the shoreline.
Koontz left the area at about 10:30 p.m., and the house gave way not long after. When she returned, there was just a small structure left among the crashing waves. She captured the ominous aftermath, saying, "I had just left to go home when the leaning blue house fell in."
The National Weather Service reported that a coastal low brought gusty northerly winds, rough surf, thunderstorms, and hazardous beach conditions to the area. Buxton was also under a high rip current risk warning.
Dozens of homes in the Outer Banks have similarly collapsed over the past few years.
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Why does it matter?
Coastal erosion, repeated flooding, and strong storm impacts can destroy homes, disrupt transportation, threaten drinking water systems, and put first responders and residents at risk.
When extreme weather damages roads and property, it also affects local businesses, tourism, insurance costs, and family finances.
Extreme weather disasters can harm public health through contaminated floodwater, mold, unsafe evacuations, and hazardous beach conditions; cut off access routes and emergency services; and add repair bills, relocation costs, and property losses to residents' expenses.
Rising seas and storm-driven surf can make already fragile shorelines even less stable.
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What are people saying?
Koontz described the house as already "compromised" when she filmed it.
Commenters on the initial drone video were in awe at the severity of the issue.
"Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be a very rough year. Stay safe," one said.
Another wrote, "This is becoming more and more common as we build more and more on the barrier beaches."
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