NewsNational News

Actions

Part of beach near collapsed house reopens in Rodanthe

53755199979_741b0b0cbd_o.jpg
53752977056_4722aa447c_o.jpg
53752977311_268356b04f_o.jpg
53755233959_0f8f65895c_o.jpg
53754904781_39d603dfbb_o.jpg
53755233544_92b7c69712_o.jpg
53754894561_129747b19e_o.jpg
53753988522_3be31dec8d_o.jpg
53755222474_89185fc3ed_o.jpg
53754887206_b30b1a8746_o.jpg
53753008511_8866dc6ba6_o.jpg
53755081143_08f93e8c85_o.jpg
53752059402_f3853f5b1c_o.jpg
53753391170_dbbcb0e9c8_o.jpg
53752977086_5874c5c271_o.jpg
53752977176_ef997051b6_o.jpg
53752059092_f43025389a_o.jpg
Posted
and last updated

DARE COUNTY, N.C. — Part of a mile-long beach closure — put into effect after an oceanfront Rodanthe house collapsed into the water on Tuesday — has reopened, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The beach from Sea Haven Drive to South Shore Drive was closed due to debris from the collapse, Seashore officials say.

As of Thursday morning, most of the beach has reopened. A quarter-mile-long portion from South Holiday Boulevard to the north end of Ocean Drive remains closed, officials added.

Rodanthe house collapses into ocean; beach closure in effect

Although part of the beach has reopened, Seashore officials are warning people to use caution to the north and south of the house collapse site. Since there could be some remaining debris, visitors should wear hard-soled shoes, officials recommended.

The house that collapsed was located at 24131 Ocean Drive, just south of the Rodanthe Pier. Officials say the house likely collapsed around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28.

The house was unoccupied at the time.

WTKR has reported on numerous oceanfront homes collapsing in the Outer Banks in the past few years.

There have been efforts to mitigate the risk, including a recent opportunity that allowed Rodanthe property owners to move their homes further away from the water.

WATCH: New approaches seek to deal with erosion's impact on the OBX

New approaches seek to deal with erosion's impact along the Outer Banks

In addition to concerns about losing vulnerable homes, Seashore officials are also worried about the long-term impacts of the collapses.

"By deploying a large group of employees soon after the house collapse, the Seashore hopes that this particular house collapse creates fewer long-term impacts to the beach than collapses in prior years," the Seashore said in a release.

The clean-up effort is still underway. Seashore officials say they're planning to use a piece of heavy equipment Thursday to collect smaller pieces of debris north of the house collapse site.