Dozens of North Carolina houses have been lost to the sea. Some surviving homes are now being moved on wheels

Pace of sea-level rise has turned Outer Banks coastal area into a ‘canary in the coalmine’ for other east coast communities

Moving house has a more literal meaning on Hatteras Island, the slender hook of land that juts off the coast of North Carolina. After a slew of houses toppled spectacularly into the Atlantic Ocean recently, entire buildings are now being lifted on to wheels to flee the rapidly eroding coastline.

Since September, 19 homes have been lost to waves that tore them from their pilings, sending them crashing into other structures like bumper cars before breaking up in the ocean. Spooked homeowners have turned to the unusual services of Barry Crum, a lifelong Hatteras resident who has become the island’s main house mover.

More than a dozen homes are set to be moved or raised higher on stilts by Crum and his small crew, who on a recent balmy April day were jacking another large dwelling on to girders, ready to be carefully wheeled a few hundred feet back from the crashing waves to tenuous safety. The house, aptly, is called Cape Point Retreat.

“It’s never been this busy,” said Crum. “I’ve seen a lot but I hadn’t seen this kind of erosion this quickly before. I’m glad I can do this to help, but it stinks what’s happened in the community.”