House collapses in Hawaii as rising oceans erode beaches. ‘Just the beginning’

A beachfront home on Oahu’s famed North Shore collapsed after rising seas and high surf eroded the shoreline, state officials said.

The home fell onto the beach early Monday, Feb. 28, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release.

No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported, fire officials told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

“I heard a noise and came out and turned on the light,” neighbor Todd Dunphy told KHON. ”I saw his wall and his deck floating in front of my house and went to look where it came from.”

State officials said erosion from high surf — when powerful waves break near on on the shore — and rising sea levels are to blame.

“This is a terrible situation,” said Suzanne Case, chair of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in a statement. “We feel badly for the homeowner and everybody who lives along this stretch. This has been a long time coming. We knew it was going to happen eventually.”

It won’t be the last such incident, officials said.

“We’re going to see more and more of these massive erosion events all over the islands,” state legislator Sean Quinlan told KHON.

Beachfront homeowners have pushed the department to do more to protect their homes, but Case said there’s only so much the government can do.

“The houses are built on sand berms and there’s just no way they can last long-term,” she said. “We’re up against powerful shifts in natural mechanisms and we’re all going to have to face a new future.”

This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 10:13 AM with the headline "House collapses in Hawaii as rising oceans erode beaches. ‘Just the beginning’."