The western edge of the dunes on Sylt is characterized by break-offs and drifts towards the tips of the island. Tetrapods were laid on the Hörnum-Odde in 1968 to protect the then new buildings in the south-west of Hörnum. Typical features of a Lee erosion can be observed at the end of the transverse works. In 2012, the tetrapods were relocated.
Attempts are being made to counteract the ongoing loss of land with sand replenishment. The front light on the Odde, which was set up in 1979 and operated until 1997, was dismantled and removed on November 7, 2013, as its demise was expected. It was stored at the building yard and re-erected in January 2018 as a memorial for coastal protection in Hörnum.
As a result of hurricane Xaver in December 2013, the foundations of the former lighthouse were washed away and the adjoining viewing platform was destroyed. Over a length of 200 meters, the loss of land from this storm alone was around 20 meters. After lengthening the longitudinal structure, around 60 meters had already been lost within a year.
The storm surge in mid-November 2015 had devastating consequences for Hörnum-Odde. There were severe crashes over a total of 850 meters, which resulted in a loss of land of up to 60 meters. The town of Hörnum was spared by the tetrapods installed in 2014. However, the storm surge almost completely separated the southern part of Hörnum-Odde from the rest of the island. In the first few weeks of 2016, further large losses of land were recorded at the Hörnum-Odde.