RODANTHE, N.C. (WAVY) — A little under a mile of beach has reopened in front of Rodanthe Village following two days of cleanup associated with a May 28 house collapse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore said Thursday.
The total stretch of beach that reopened is about seven-tenths of a mile in front of Rodanthe Villiage, which had been closed after an unoccupied house collapse at 24131 Ocean Drive in Rodanthe.
The current beach closure extends about a quarter-mile from South Holiday Boulevard to the north end of Ocean Drive in Rodanthe.
Dozens of Seashore employees, along with volunteers and a debris removal contractor, have worked to remove debris from the house collapse across miles of beaches in northern Rodanthe.
The Seashore said that by getting a large group of people involved in the cleanup early following the house collapse, it will mean fewer long-term impacts to the beach than previous house collapses.
“While it is an encouraging sign that enough debris has been collected to be able to reopen a portion of the beach, visitors should consider wearing hard-soled shoes and remain cautious on the beach and in the water in front of Rodanthe as pieces of debris continue to wash ashore,” the Seashore said.
It noted that wind, currents and waves have spread low-density debris along a roughly 15-mile-long section of beach, from near the Richard Etheridge Bridge to off-road vehicle ramp 27.
The Seashore was planning to use heavy equipment Thursday to rake up some smaller debris north of the house collapse site. It said a decision on the lifting of the remaining closure would be made “in the coming days.”
