OUTER BANKS, N.C.(WAVY) – A house collapse in Rodanthe marks the ninth unoccupied home to fall on Hatteras Island in just one week.

According to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the home in Rodanthe fell just after 6 p.m. Friday evening. Residents on surrounding streets say the collapse coincided with flooding around their homes. 

“Basically, the water breached this hole here and then the entire street was underwater for a bit. Some of the folks on the street here who’ve been digging sand piles, making their yards impregnable against the next high tide,” said homeowner Tim Jones. “They would say they’ve kind of won little victories here and there. Eventually, mother nature’s gonna win.”

The collapse in Rodanthe occurred as the clean-up process for multiple fallen homes further south in Buxton is still underway. This marks the first collapse in Rodanthe this week due to beach erosion from recent storms. 

“It’s heartbreaking because I know we put our heart and soul into our places that we have here,” said homeowner Maria Buker. “We come here because we love it. We love the peaceful spirit that Hatteras Island brings. My heart ached when I saw that today.”

Residents say they hope to see the state step in with prevention measures or work to minimize the damage as much as possible for any future collapses. 

“There were some things I saw in Buxton today that were quite alarming. Like the septic tanks, you knew the house was in danger, get that septic out of there before those waves come in,” said Burker. “And then you see wires, and you have people coming to visit and see the destruction. Get those wires out of there. Disconnect that propane tank. Get those AC units off of there. There are things that could be removed to create a safer situation for the house fall. I don’t know what all the answers are, but somebody has to do something.