Eighth house collapses in Buxton on Thursday afternoon

An eighth house collapsed in Buxton at 46221 Tower Circle Road on Wednesday at approximately 4:45 p.m. The two-story home was built in 1989 and had four bedrooms and three baths.

On Tuesday, five oceanfront homes collapsed in Buxton within an hour of the 2:15 p.m. high tide, and a sixth home collapsed in Buxton at around 11:00 p.m. The seventh home collapsed on Wednesday night.

The previous seven house collapses include the following:

46207 Tower Circle Road – Built in 1973, two stories, and approximately 2,188 square feet with four bedrooms and three baths.
46203 Tower Circle Road – Built in 1984, two stories, and approximately 1,568 square feet with three bedrooms and two and a half baths.
46001 Cottage Avenue – Built in 1970, one story, and approximately 1,287 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths.
46002 Cottage Avenue – Built in 1995, two stories, and approximately 1,926 square feet with four bedrooms and three baths.
46007 Cottage Avenue – Built in 1988, two stories, and approximately 1,456 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths.
46209 Tower Circle Road – Built in 1984, two stories, and approximately 1,696 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths.
46211 Tower Circle Road – Built in 1978, one story, and approximately 1,130 square feet with four bedrooms and two and a half baths.

Officials warn that additional collapses are possible in both Buxton and Rodanthe, and the beachfront from northern Buxton through ORV ramp 43 remains closed. ORV drivers using ramp 38 should avoid traveling south, and those using ramp 43 should avoid heading north.

This week’s collapses bring the total number of oceanfront home collapses in Buxton to nine within the past two weeks. The first incident occurred on September 16, when a home built in 1976 at 46227 Tower Circle Road fell.

Since 2020, there have been 20 oceanfront home collapses on Hatteras Island. The remaining incidents occurred in Rodanthe, including six homes that fell in 2024.

Additional background information on Hatteras Island’s home collapses can be found in this September 18 article.

Video by Don Bowers

Cape Hatteras National Seashore will deploy roughly two dozen staff to Buxton on Friday to assist with large-scale cleanup following the recent oceanfront house collapses.

Crews will concentrate on removing debris along the beach between the southern end of the village and Cape Point to protect park resources and public safety, while property owners are expected to clear debris from village areas so Dare County’s contractor can handle disposal.

For more information on the upcoming debris cleanup, click here.