Cleanup begins in Buxton as NPS staff and volunteers tackle debris from eight home collapses

Roughly 40 National Park Service (NPS) staff members and volunteers have started the long and difficult process of hauling away massive piles of debris left behind after eight oceanfront homes collapsed in Buxton over the past week.

As of Friday morning, about 30–35 NPS personnel are working on the cleanup alongside a half-dozen volunteers from the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, the Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men, and Dan and Robin Rothermel, who adopted an affected stretch of shoreline through Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Adopt-A-Beach program.

“This is a three-part strategy,” explained David Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent. “The owners and any neighbors that have debris will be asked to pull debris off the property and place it on the right of way on Old Lighthouse Road. The second part is Dare County will have their debris contractor remove that and dispose of that debris properly. The third aspect is that the Park Service is cleaning the area south of the debris, and concentrating on a 2.5-mile section.”

Hallac said the debris field has grown heavier and more extensive as material from the collapsed homes has begun washing back ashore. “The debris is very heavy. It’s much heavier today than it was a couple of days ago. I think it’s just starting to wash back on the beach,” he said. “The debris is waist- to chest-high in terms of some of these piles, and in other areas, it’s a heavy density of scattered debris.”

Permits and homeowner cleanup

Homeowners who wish to hire their own contractors for debris removal are required to obtain permits from NPS, and roughly half have already done so. “If someone needs a permit from us to do that, we’re issuing those very, very quickly,” Hallac said. “Some of the owners have, some are in the process of arranging that.”

Once debris is moved to the right of way, Dare County’s contractor will collect and dispose of it. This cooperative strategy—between homeowners, county crews, and federal park staff—is intended to speed up removal of thousands of pounds of material scattered across Buxton’s beach and dunes.

Hazards remain on the beach

Hallac stressed that the cleanup area remains extremely dangerous for visitors. “We continue to urge people to stay away from these areas,” he said. “A lot of this debris is hazardous, and there is still debris in the surf with sharp nails and screws. It’s very dangerous.”

Collapsed homes often leave behind structural timbers, siding, roofing, pipes, and personal belongings. In previous collapses on Hatteras Island, debris cleanup has taken days or even weeks depending on tides and weather.

The cleanup follows a devastating week along Buxton’s vulnerable oceanfront, where persistent high surf and elevated water levels from offshore storms caused eight unoccupied houses to fall into the Atlantic between September 29 and October 1.

The stretch between northern Buxton and Cape Point remains closed for safety reasons, and visitors are asked to avoid the beach near the collapse sites.