UPDATE: NPS to begin Buxton debris cleanup Friday morning, overwash reported ahead of Thursday afternoon’s high tide

National Park Service (NPS) staff will begin cleanup efforts in Buxton on Friday morning to address the large amount of debris that remains along the shoreline following a series of recent oceanfront home collapses, according to a Thursday afternoon update.

“We’re expecting to have approximately two dozen National Park Service staff at the site on Friday,” said David Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent. “Park staff will be conducting the work from the southernmost house in Buxton to Cape Point. It’s about a 2.5-mile-long stretch, and we have noticeable debris along that section.”

Buxton on Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Don Bowers.

Cleanup work will begin in the morning, weather permitting, and is expected to take multiple days. Persistent northeast winds and rough surf have scattered debris from the collapsed houses all along the immediate beach, burying some under blowing sand and washing other material further down the shoreline.

“It may take a while to clean the debris,” Hallac said, noting that even if additional overwash and rough surf conditions exist on Friday, the cleanup will still proceed. “We’re going to do some activities in the morning and do as much as we can. If we have to pause operations and wait for the tide to go back out, we will.”

Dare County and individual homeowners are also collaborating on the cleanup efforts.

“We don’t know ultimately where the entire debris is going to lie in this case because the ocean is still extremely rough and the debris is caught in the currents,” said Hallac. “We expect that in future high tides, additional debris will wash out, so completely cleaning the debris from these collapses will take some time. We are collaborating closely with Dare County on this.”

North Buxton at 1:00 p.m. Photo by Joy Crist.

The cleanup begins as hazardous coastal conditions continue to affect Hatteras Island.

Another round of ocean overwash was reported along N.C. Highway 12 in Buxton on Thursday afternoon, three hours before the approximate 4:15 p.m. high tide.

Additional overwash is possible before and after the several high tide cycles, and rough surf is expected to persist into the weekend.

The recent oceanfront home collapses in Buxton have left large fields of debris scattered across both the beach and nearby neighborhoods, prompting a coordinated response between CHNS, Dare County, and homeowners to remove the material as quickly and safely as possible.

Officials have warned throughout the week that cleanup will be a multi-day process, and more debris may continue to emerge in the coming days.

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