In August 2024, a house on 23214 Corbina Drive in Rodanthe, North Carolina in the Outer Banks collapsed into the ocean. This is the seventh house in four years to do so, and many vacationers and homeowners alike are understandably concerned about the other properties along the coast. Which one will be next? Will it be my house?
One of the houses that most have looked to and watched anxiously is the Inn at Rodanthe, made famous by the movie Nights at Rodanthe, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel. Luckily, the house was moved to safety almost 15 years ago.
The Inn at Rodanthe is still in its eponymous Rodanthe, but has been moved to Beacon Road, north of the Jug Handle Bridge. It is safe from the worst of the storm surges, while still being right on the edge of the water.
Corbina Drive, where the most recent collapse occurred, still has many houses lining the shore. The northern end of Rodanthe is mostly made up of smaller, older houses, from when the Outer Banks was a much smaller vacation spot. Thankfully, a house's distance from the beach is not standardized, and therefore most of these properties are still safe from collapse, and available to rent for your family vacation.
In the past four year, seven houses have collapsed in Rodanthe, with two collapsing this year in May and August, respectively.
The other houses collapsed at various times throughout the spring, with the overwhelming majority collapsing during the storm season in May. In May 2020, one collapsed on Sea Oats Drive. In 2022, three houses collapsed along the same street (Ocean Drive): one in February and two in May (on the same day!). In 2023, only one house collapsed in Rodanthe, and that was in March on East Point Drive.
The Outer Banks's narrow, low-lying barrier islands are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges and flooding from both the bay and sea. As sea levels rise, these islands naturally shift toward the mainland, making it difficult to keep the shoreline in place to protect houses.
There have been efforts to help protect the houses along the Outer Banks. Since 2022, Dare County has been funding a beach nourishment project, bringing in sand from off-shore "borrow sites" and sandbars to expand the shoreline and stave off issues for the buildings nearest the sea.
Add to that the fact that Rodanthe and other towns facing similar issues, such as Avon, Buxton, and Hatteras, are located on Hatteras Island. Outer Banks Blue only offers rentals on the Northern Beaches—Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head—nearly 30 miles away from Rodanthe at the closest point.
While iconic coastal landmarks like the Inn at Rodanthe face ongoing challenges from rising sea levels and shifting shorelines, visitors to the Outer Banks can still enjoy a safe and secure experience.
