North Carolina Residents Roll Homes Away From Rising Seas

When Barry Crum says business is booming on Hatteras Island, it's not exactly cause for celebration. The lifelong North Carolina resident has become the go-to person for something remarkable: moving entire houses on wheels away from the encroaching ocean.

Since September, 19 homes have tumbled into the Atlantic Ocean after waves tore them from their foundations. On one shocking day last September, five houses collapsed in just 45 minutes, crashing into each other like bumper cars before breaking apart in the surf.

Now Crum and his small crew are working overtime to save what's left. More than a dozen homes are being lifted onto girders and carefully wheeled back from the shoreline to safer ground. One recent rescue: a large dwelling aptly named Cape Point Retreat, moved several hundred feet from the crashing waves.

"I've seen a lot but I hadn't seen this kind of erosion this quickly before," said Crum. "I'm glad I can do this to help, but it stinks what's happened in the community."

Resident Hunter Hicks witnessed one home's final moments in February. "I could see the house leaning and then you could hear a crackling sound, like lightning," he said. "It sounded like a bomb went off."

The Outer Banks have always been a challenging place to live. These narrow barrier islands, barely a mile wide in some spots, constantly shift with wind and waves. The famous Cape Hatteras lighthouse itself had to be moved in 1999 after losing over 1,000 feet of beachfront.

But something has changed. Parts of Buxton lost their entire beach and sand dunes. The island is shrinking faster than longtime locals have ever seen.

The Bright Side

Despite losing 31 houses since 2020, the community isn't giving up. Instead, residents are showing the ingenuity and resilience that's always defined life on these islands. Rather than abandoning their homes, they're literally picking them up and moving them to safety.

Crum's father helped move the Cape Hatteras lighthouse decades ago. Now the younger Crum carries on that tradition of stubborn hope, one house at a time. His work represents more than just saving buildings. It's about preserving a way of life and a tight-knit community that refuses to be swept away without a fight.

The people of Hatteras Island understand their home better than anyone. They sell coffee at the Swept Away Cafe and wear T-shirts joking about their flooded highway. They know the ocean gives and takes. Right now, they're focused on what they can save.