Coastal flooding and ocean over wash from Hurricane Erin are expected to begin as early as Tuesday and continue through Thursday, and that has prompted the National Park Service to close a beach access where several threatened homes still precariously stand.
The homes are on G.A. Kohler Court in Rodanthe — the same stretch where several homes have collapsed into the ocean in recent years. Rodanthe has lost more than a dozen homes to the Atlantic since 2020, including six in 2024 alone.
Officials with Cape Hatteras National Seashore said the beach access in Rodanthe from the terminus of Old Highway 12 to the end of the Ocean Drive and in front of the village of Buxton southward to Ramp 43 are closed until further notice.
Previous coverage: NPS purchases OBX homes at risk of collapsing into the sea
Cape Hatteras National Seashore will also close facilities at the end of the day Monday as the threat of high surf and ocean overwash from Hurricane Erin approaches.
Dare and Hyde Counties have declared a state of emergency and ordered mandatory evacuations ahead of the storm, which is not expected to make landfall but will churn up the surf along the coast.
Seashore officials said the Museum of the Sea at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Discovery Center on Ocracoke Island will be closed by 5:00 p.m. Monday and will not reopen until the storm has passed and assessments are made to determine a safe opening. Bodie Island Lighthouse will be closing on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cape Point, Frisco, and Ocracoke campgrounds will close Monday by 3:00 p.m. and Oregon Inlet Campground will close at noon on Tuesday.
Off-road vehicle (ORV) ramps will be closed by 9:00 Monday night.