RODANTHE, N.C. — It’s taking multiple groups to clean up the mess left behind after another home fell into the ocean on the Outer Banks this week.
The home collapsed in Rodanthe on Monday and four other homes next to it are now condemned.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore park service crews put out an open call for volunteer help to pick up scattered debris on Thursday.
“A lot of drywall material from the walls, the interior walls, it blends in with the beach,” said volunteer Robert Griffin.
Robert and Dede Griffin are visiting from Montana and decided to drop their plans and grab a trash bucket.
“We are on vacation and actually, today, we had planned on going down and doing some touring around the national wildlife refuges,” Robert Griffin said. “We read this in the paper late last night that the park service was having a cleanup today.”
So far this week, Chief Ranger Boone Vandzura said park crews hauled away nearly 70 truckloads of debris.
“It was an amazing effort by park service staff and volunteers and community effort for the last few days,” Vandzura said. “So, we made a huge dent in it, it all depends what continues to wash up or be exposed on the National Seashore.”
It’s the fourth home in the area lost to the Atlantic Ocean in the past year. Chief Vandzura said the waves will wash up more materials.
“As the ocean settles down, more debris will wash up on shore,” Chief Vandzura said. “Park service staff will be out sweeping the beaches, collecting that debris to get it removed so folks don’t get hurt or injured.”
He encourages anyone willing to comb the beach for more trash. The Griffins said it’s a vacation day well spent.
Park Service crews ask anyone combing the beaches for debris on their own to put garbage bags or debris piles well above the high tide line so no trash heads back into the ocean.