An unoccupied home on the coast of North Carolina collapsed, and the National Park Service is asking people to stay away.

Video captured by a drone shows the aftermath of a house that collapsed on Seashore Beaches in Buxton, North Carolina, located approximately 147 miles south of Virginia Beach.

Footage shows waves crashing into the house, which collapsed on Tuesday, Sept. 16, according to Storyful. The house appears to be overwhelmed by the high tide.

This is the 12th house to collapse in the area over the past five years, according to a news release posted to the National Park Service's website. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is asking people to stay away from the area and out of the water due to the collapse.

In August, dozens of homes and septic systems in Buxton were also damaged when Hurricane Erin passed through the coastline, according to an alert posted to the park's website. The damage was caused by waves generated when the hurricane passed through at the end of the month.

See video of North Carolina home collapsing

Homes threatened by coastal erosion

The collapse comes as homes in the area are threatened by coastal erosion, which is when rocks, soils and/or sands are carried away from the coast, according to the NPS.

"The effects of erosion in (Rodanthe and Buxton, North Carolina) have resulted in structures being present on the open beachfront or in the intertidal area which may result in reduced beach access and safety for visitors, a loss of habitat for shorebirds and sea turtles, and, sometimes, structure collapses on Seashore beaches, resulting in many miles of beach debris," the park service said.

The erosion happens due to sea level rise, strong wave action and coastal flooding, according to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, who said coastal erosion is responsible for "roughly $500 million per year in coastal property loss, including damage to structures and loss of land" in the U.S.

Since 2020, 12 privately owned houses have collapsed on Seashore beaches, according to the NPS:

  • 2020: One home collapsed in May.
  • 2021: No collapses occurred in this year.
  • 2022: Two homes collapsed on May 10, 2022, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, during a multi-day storm.
  • 2023: One home collapsed in March.
  • 2024: A total of six homes collapsed in 2024. Two in May and August, three in September and one in November.
  • 2025: Only one home collapsed in 2025.

All of the houses were unoccupied when they collapsed.

Julia is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers all things Labubu and Pop Mart.. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch home become 12th in last 5 years to collapse on North Carolina beach

Reporting by Julia Gomez, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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