Houses--and Justice--Built on Sand

North Shore homes with black tarp (msn photo)

Last year we wrote about Oahu homeowners who are placing sandbag "burritos" to protect their North Shore homes from beach erosion.

State officials are once again trying to crack down on the dozens of sandbag barriers, known as burritos, that have come to litter Hawaii’s beaches...State laws largely forbid private-property owners from erecting shoreline hardening structures, which have caused beach loss throughout the state.

Earlier this week Instagram user kevin_makana_emery filmed the tidal destruction of one North Shore home. SFGate reported:

(Still from Instagram)

A homeowner whose house is falling into the ocean on Oahu’s North Shore is being sued by the state of Hawaii.

Earlier this week, amid a high ocean swell, the home on Ke Nui Road by Sunset Beach could be seen breaking apart and falling into the waves in a video widely shared on social media. In the footage, a resident can be heard warning others, “Be careful where you’re standing. The whole roof is gonna come down right now.”

Glass, metal and wood can be seen strewn across the sand as the waves pull debris into the sea. “The State of Hawaii officials could’ve prevented this! But they did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING,” the resident who shot the video commented.

In a civil lawsuit filed on Tuesday, however, the state of Hawaii is seeking damages against the homeowner. The complaint claims that debris from the collapsing home is now on state land — all beaches in Hawaii are owned by the state, up to the high-tide mark — and it’s on the owner to clean it up.

In Hawaii it's illegal to protect your beachfront home, but if it is destroyed, it is on you to pay for the damages and debris not only on your property but on the beaches all over Hawaii. Aloha!