CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For years, fierce storms and rising tides have been clawing away at the sand beneath homes on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Now, the United States government is stepping in with a solution. Federal officials are buying up homes in Rodanthe as sea levels rise up and down the east coast.
The U.S. government has paid $700,000 for the homes, and is looking to quickly tear the houses down and turn the land into safe public beaches.
To pay for these homes, officials are tapping into a conservation fund that's supported by offshore oil and gas leasing, not taxpayers. It was established by Congress in 1964 to help maintain important cultural and natural areas.
And this could be the first case of the government buying up beach-front properties. But, the folks behind these purchases say it makes sense because as homes teeter on the ocean's edge, it provides both protection to the shore and access to the ocean.
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