Photo: @on_a_adventure / Hunter Hicks
The Outer Banks just endured a heartbreaking hurricane season and the local community suffered another massive blow over the weekend as four houses collapsed into the ocean in just over 24 hours. Footage of the massive winter storm’s waves pounding the Buxton Beach area circulated throughout Sunday and news of more homes collapsing broke Monday, which were all confirmed by Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
“The place is not for the faint of heart,” wrote Zach Weisberg back in 2024, pointing to the resilience of the year-round residents who have watched homes in the area wash away under constant threat of storms. Specifically, 31 privately owned houses have collapsed along Outer Banks beaches since 2020. Astonishingly, 20 of those collapses have happened since September 30, 2025, according to National Parks Services. That’s an astonishing and devastating four-month stretch.
Hunter Hicks shared footage of Sunday’s destruction as it began, pointing out that “another one is about to go.”
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Sure enough, two more homes did collapse over night in Buxton on the same road (Tower Circle Road). At around 9 a.m. Monday a fourth house collapsed on Old Lighthouse Road. All houses were reportedly unoccupied at the time(s) of their collapse.
“Watching half a house get washed around in the surf is a sight you never get used to. It’s sad every time. With a few more months of Nor’Easter season,” Brett Barley wrote on Monday morning alongside his own video footage documenting the destruction. “This strip of houses in Buxton have a ways to go before the seasons change and storms die down.”
Many headlines of the storm pounding the coastal community and the destruction it created pointed to “20-foot surf,” which Barley pointed out was the reading from the buoy system.
“No, it’s not that big RIGHT on the shore, but it’s a whole lot of energy remaining when it hits the beach,” he said.
