Be careful on Outer Banks beach, rescuers warn — a house is crumbling into the ocean
An Outer Banks home is crumbling into the ocean near the Rodanthe Pier.
Photos and videos of the home show part of its support structure being torn away and large pieces of debris being flung around by the waves.
Yellow caution tape was wrapped around the house, and waves were seen crashing through the base of the house's support structure.
The beach was littered with long pieces of wood, some with nails sticking out of them.
Hurricane Chris off the North Carolina coast has caused dangerous ocean conditions this week, including life-threatening currents, rough surf and heavy beach erosion.
Decking and other pieces of the house on Ocean Drive, about 100 yards south of the Rodanthe Pier, was falling into the ocean Monday and Tuesday, a local rescue group said on Facebook.
"Look out for floating debris with nails sticking out being hurled in the pounding shore-break," the Chicamacomico Banks Water Rescue group wrote. "These large pieces of debris will continue to get pushed back up onto the beach for the next 12-24 hours. Large debris —like this — combined with large waves, strong currents and rough seas can be extremely dangerous.
"It may be extremely difficult to spot these heavy pieces of timber and pilings. They are so heavy that they tend to sit right at, or just below the surface. The ocean is also strong enough to pitch this debris and take out unsuspecting beach-goers."
The rescue group advised people to pile up any debris they find on shore "nails down" near the dunes and "we will do our best to appropriately remove (it) from the beach."
The house at 24143 Ocean Drive in Rodanthe in the Trade Winds Beaches subdivision is owned by a Greensboro couple, according to Dare County records, and the home is worth $367,500.
The 2,424-square-foot oceanfront house, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, was built in 1989, county tax records show.
The home was in foreclosure in 2010, before the most recent purchase, according to county records.
This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Be careful on Outer Banks beach, rescuers warn — a house is crumbling into the ocean."