No insurance: Woman watches her house sink from shore (2 photos + 1 video)

Carolyn Hoagland, from the United States, was heartbroken to watch the house her late husband built disappear beneath the waves. The house, which had stood on the coast since 1984, became the sixth to be destroyed due to accelerating shoreline erosion.





Now all of the American woman's belongings are at the bottom of the ocean. The only thing she managed to salvage was a photograph that washed up on the shore. According to her, the ocean was once far away, hundreds of feet from the porch, but now the water is right there.

"When we built the house, we never imagined it would end like this," Hoagland admitted.

According to AccuWeather, the Outer Banks' shoreline has lost about 675 feet (200 meters) since 1987. And in the Rodanthe area, erosion is accelerating—land is retreating at a rate of 15 feet (4.5 meters) per year, making it one of the most unstable areas in the United States.

Scientists attribute the process to rising sea levels and weakening natural barriers.

"The coastline has always changed, but not as rapidly as in recent decades," noted Rob Young of Western Carolina University.



Besides the emotional toll, families living near the ocean face serious financial risks. Most standard insurance policies don't cover damage from erosion, storm surges, and flooding, leaving homeowners without compensation.