North Sea swallows houses | Euronews

Homes are disappearing on the English east coast.

The relentless force of the ocean is causing rapid coastal erosion – at an increasingly rapid and alarming rate.

“There were two or three other roads. You had to go up and down the hills two or three times to get from here to the sea. That’s not the case anymore,” said resident Yvonne Simpkins.

Now it is only a few meters.

Rising storm surges, compounded by increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, are wreaking havoc on the sand cliffs along this coast.

Meters of land recently fell into the sea. Now the local government wants to demolish the abandoned houses near the cliffs of this submerged village.

Until recently, a driveway led to a street that led to beach front homes. But now this street is on the beach – the neighboring houses are a few meters away from the same fate.

And residents say coastal erosion is quickly becoming a reality.

“It’s climate change itself, and it’s going to tear not just this nation apart, but many others, and the people who can survive it are the ones who organized it now!” Community resident Malcolm Kerby says.

Coastal erosion experts warn: Local governments and nations must prepare for the challenges ahead.

“Over time, these storms will become more impactful and more intense in line with the changes we expect from climate change. We need to be prepared for that and know how to prepare communities for these types of events.” University of East Anglia coastal erosion expert Sophie Day says.

Coastal communities across Europe face an uncertain future as climate change accelerates erosion.