For coastal residents, what once seemed unimaginable is becoming reality.

Along North Carolina's Outer Banks, beach houses perched on eroding sand are being hauled inland as rising tides threaten to swallow them, according to The Guardian.

On Hatteras Island, crews are racing to save homes, using excavators, chains, and wheeled jacks to lift the structures and roll them away from the surf.

Since September, nearly 20 homes have collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, with waves tearing them from their foundations. Some fell within minutes of each other and crashed into neighboring houses before breaking apart.

"I've never seen anything like it," longtime resident Lat Williams said, per The Guardian. "... It's traumatic to watch and listen to these houses break up."

@epic.shutter.photography After three weeks of efforts this 264,500 lb oceanfront home on Cape Ct in Buxton, NC was finally moved to its new lot away from the ocean on March 30, 2026. It was moved approximately 150 feet west and then 100 feet north. With the first jetty rebuild starting in a few months and the projected beach nourishment in Buxton, so much hope for the future for this home and the rest of this stretch of beach. After a rough fall and winter the future looks bright. If you missed my first post of the house move go to my IG @Epicshutterphotography to read up on the process and what is involved. After documenting over 100 hours of this move, here is a time-lapse of the move. Visit Cape Hatteras National Seashore. #OuterBanks #NorthCarolina #EpicShutterPhotography #Buxton #Hatteras ♬ original sound - Epic Shutter Photography

Now, the community is in a race against time to save what remains.

"It's never been this busy," house mover Barry Crum said, per The Guardian. "I've seen a lot, but I hadn't seen this kind of erosion this quickly before. I'm glad I can do this to help, but it stinks what's happened in the community."

The crisis extends far beyond the Outer Banks. As the planet warms — largely due to the burning of oil, coal, and gas — oceans expand and ice melts, pushing shorelines inland.

"The island is just getting smaller and smaller," resident Hunter Hicks said, per The Guardian. "If we don't move these houses, we will probably lose 20 more by the end of the year."

The impacts go beyond property loss. Stronger storms and increased flooding can threaten public safety and strain local economies — forcing communities to make difficult decisions about whether to rebuild or relocate.

"The timeline of the collapses has shortened dramatically," said Brianna Castro, an expert in climate impacts, per The Guardian. "Everyone here is worried about it, and people are saying for the first time to me they don't know how long they can hang on."

Still, amid the uncertainty, many residents remain determined.

"I think we'll all keep trying until we can't," Natalie Kavanagh, whose family arrived in the Outer Banks in the 1700s, said.

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