This is the fifth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

About 20 beach houses have recently collapsed into the ocean in Buxton on the Outer Banks. Local leaders there say the cause isn't just climate change or sea-level rise. They blame a deteriorating jetty installed by the U.S. Navy decades ago to protect a Cold War submarine monitoring station. Local and federal officials have responded to the rapid erosion by promising beach renourishment and jetty repairs, but those projects might not be a long-term solution for one of North Carolina's most fragile beach communities. 

To learn more about Buxton's beach erosion problems and what comes next, WUNC News' Colin Campbell visited the community and spoke with Buxton Civic Association President Heather Jennette and Vice President Brian Harris.