NC Commissioner Meets With Residents After More Homes Fall into Ocean

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey this week called for more state and federal assistance after multiple homes on the Outer Banks have collapsed into the ocean in the last two months.

“I am urging our Congressional delegation to see what remedies we can employ to help the residents of the Outer Banks affected by this crisis,” Causey said in a statement after meeting with frustrated Hatteras Island residents. “The loss of beachfront over the past few weeks has been astounding.”

Ten oceanfront homes in Buxton and one in Rodanthe crashed into the ocean in recent weeks after owners had abandoned them. Those followed other Outer Banks collapses in recent years as sea levels rise and storm surge pounds the fragile island beaches.

Residents have complained for years that the fallen structures have left dangerous debris all along the shoreline, forcing limited National Park Service cleanup efforts, according to local news reports. Causey said he had no easy solutions but urged residents to contact state legislators, the governor and members of Congress.

One bill in Congress, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, of coastal North Carolina, would allow homeowners in vulnerable coastal stretches to utilize up to $250,000 from National Flood Insurance Program payouts to demolish or move beachfront structures before they collapse.

The 2024 bill has seen little movement in Congress. And for flood insurance renewals and new policies, the NFIP remains in limbo as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week. And Congress has not reauthorized the flood insurance program, which expired Sept. 30. The North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association, covering some coastal properties, does not provide flood insurance.

Causey also called for legislation that would require property insurance carriers to write coastal properties if they provide coverage anywhere in the state, the Island Free Press reported.

Local officials have deemed beach renourishment to be cost-ineffective, due to the rapid rate of erosion and few remaining residents on the island, the Free Press noted.

Photo: Waves from Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda destroy a home in Buxton, on Sept. 30. (Heather Jennette via AP)

Topics North Carolina