Video captured the moment an elevated beachfront home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina collapsed and was washed out to sea Friday by waves caused by Hurricane Ernesto, according to The New York Times.
Hurricane Ernesto made landfall Saturday morning in Bermuda as a weakening Category 1. The waves caused by the storm combining with high tides appeared to be too much for a home local officials claimed was already at risk of collapsing, according to The New York Times, citing weather experts.
Rodanthe, the Cape Hatteras town where the single family house was located, is home to 200 people, the outlet reported. The community has reportedly seen seven homes washed away by the ocean in the past four years. (RELATED: Shocking Video Shows House Collapsing Into River After Historic Flooding In Alaska)
WATCH: House collapses into the ocean on the Outer Banks due to swell from Hurricane Ernesto. It’s the seventh house to face destruction in a four-year span. The public is warned to stay clear.
INFO: https://t.co/dW3hSM96NZ
Video courtesy of Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Rescue. pic.twitter.com/W0SiE4kGEd
— Tyler Hardin (@TylerDHardin) August 17, 2024
Footage of the house’s collapse appears to show the tide rushing under the home’s pilings as it teeters above its foundation. As the house falls into the ocean, one man in the video can be heard exclaiming, “Holy shit!” while another is heard saying, “Oh my God!” The sound of cracking and breaking wood, meanwhile, prevails during the clips audio.
JUST IN: Beachfront home falls into the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The incident was thanks to Hurricane Ernesto which is off the coast in the Atlantic.
The unfortunate owners purchased the 4 bed, 2 bath home in 2018 for $339,000.
The home was built in… pic.twitter.com/MvkQuXz5SG
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 17, 2024
The home then appears to be tossed by the surf as parts of the deck collapse.
Though Hurricane Ernesto is not expected to hit the mainland United States, its influence upon the East Coast prompted officials to warn that other homes are at risk, The New York Times reported.
Forecasters said the East Coast may increasingly experience dangerous rip currents and high surf through the weekend, according to the outlet.
The house was reportedly unoccupied at the time of its collapse. No one was injured, nor were injuries reported in the other local house collapses over the past four years, the outlet reported, citing the National Parks Service.
The home, originally built in 1973, was last sold for $339,000 in November 2018, according to a real estate listing.