Along the shores of Buxton, North Carolina, the ocean has swallowed what was once a row of postcard-perfect beach homes.
Nine homes have collapsed this week, claimed by years of erosion and the pounding surf fueled by hurricanes Humberto and Imelda.
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For homeowner Carolyn Hoagland, watching from Virginia as her family’s vacation home disappeared beneath the waves felt surreal.
“I don’t know if it’s easier being here than it is being there,” Hoagland told WNCN Raleigh. (1)
Her home, built by her late husband in 1984, was the sixth to go — a place once filled with laughter, good food and family memories. Inside were the last pieces of furniture her husband had crafted before he died in 2023.
As more coastal homes crumble into the sea, many are asking the same question: What are the real risks and costs of living on the edge of paradise?
Coastal dreams, underwater realities.
Losing something you own is painful, but it’s devastating when every piece carries a story.
“If I was there, I would want to be going through everything on the beach,” Hoagland said.
All she managed to recover was a single photo spotted by a friend on social media and later found washed ashore. When the Hoaglands first built their home, the ocean stretched hundreds of feet away. But the coastline has been disappearing fast.
Since 1987, the Outer Banks have lost roughly 675 feet of shoreline, according to AccuWeather. (2) In Rodanthe, erosion has only accelerated. A 2023 Dare County study found the coast is retreating more than 15 feet a year — one of the fastest rates in the country.
Unlike the rocky edges of New England or the mangrove-protected coasts of Florida, the Outer Banks have little to buffer them.
"There’s always been shoreline change, but not nearly as rapid as what we’ve seen over the last two to three decades," Rob Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, told USA Today in September as the region braced for Hurricane Erin. (3) "That is a result of sea level rise.”
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Costly coverage gaps
For families like the Hoaglands, the emotional toll is clear, but the financial reality of coastal living can be just as fragile.
“You could not imagine when we built that it would ever come to this point,” Hoagland said.
While having a home by the ocean sounds idyllic, most standard insurance policies exclude coastal erosion, flooding and storm surges — leaving gaps that can cost homeowners thousands when the shoreline starts to shift.
If you live in a coastal home or an area prone to natural disasters, it’s important to look at specialized coverage. (4) For example, coastal home insurance typically covers damage from high winds, tropical storms and hurricanes — risks that are usually excluded from standard policies.
Even these policies rarely cover flooding, meaning homeowners still need a separate flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private provider to stay fully protected. (5)
Beyond coverage, homeowners can take preventative measures like installing seawalls, maintaining dunes or joining local coastal management programs to reduce potential damage.
Homeowners who stay proactive — both in prevention and policy review — are far better equipped to protect their investments from the unpredictable forces of nature.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
MSN (1); Accuweather (2); Star News (3); Dickstein Associates Agency (4); FEMA (5).
This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: NC homeowner watched helplessly as beach home collapsed into the sea — the 9th local home lost to relentless erosion
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.