Long Beach, Long Island (WABC) — Beaches on Long Island and the Jersey Shore experienced rough high tides as Hurricane Franklin lashed across the Atlantic.
Long Beach’s high tide was not only caused by Hurricane Franklin, but also by the recent supermoon.
“As peak hurricane season approaches, the safety of all New Yorkers remains my top priority,” Governor Hochul said. “As tropical storms and hurricanes impact our Long Island beaches, we are taking proactive steps to protect New Yorkers, I urge everyone to be vigilant.”
Officials banned swimming at Long Beach and state beaches such as Robert Moses Beach and Jones Beach.
Swimming is also prohibited at Hempstead Township beaches, including Point Lookout, Lido, Lido Beach West and Atlantic Beach.
Video taken by lifeguards at Jones Beach showed flooding on Wednesday. The water washed over red flags warning beachgoers not to get in the water.
On the Jersey Shore, officials are monitoring the situation, but so far swimming has not been banned.
“It’s a perfect setup for them. We let them do what they want and today we gave them some extra beach to do that. We took a chunk of this (beach) and Say you can have the whole thing, so they’re happy,” said Jesse Levine, chief lifeguard in Avon-by-the-Sea.
Even though beaches on the Jersey Shore have remained open to swimmers, that doesn’t mean beachgoers shouldn’t be wary of dangerous conditions.
“As far as surfing goes, we appreciate rips and use them because they really help the paddle out, but when you’re swimming it’s always important to be cautious and know how to get out of rips,” age 15 Elliott said.
Rip currents are common on the Jersey Shore, but even more so when there is a storm, even one far from the coast.
“Whenever a storm hits and there’s a storm near the coast, obviously our first concern is the rip currents, which can be very dangerous,” Monmouth County Sheriff Sean Golden said.
Rip currents are always near piers and rocks, Levine said. He said the sand churned and the water got deeper, which was why swimmers started to float away or get pulled out.
That happened to Cameron, a 14-year-old surfer.
“It was high tide and I was just a little kid and I got swept away and the lifeguards had to come and save me,” he said.
Golden offers helpful advice for anyone in a similarly dire situation.
“If you’re caught in a rip current, just send out a distress signal, don’t try to fight the rip current, swim with the current, parallel to shore, until you’re out of the rip current and can swim back into the water,” said Gore. Deng said. explain.
Fortunately, things are expected to improve over the holiday weekend.
“We’re looking for a good situation. We want everyone swimming with their heads in front of us or near us, not swimming alone hours before or hours after,” he said. “It’s the most dangerous thing when people try to swim when there’s no one around and we can’t help them.”
Officials will monitor conditions on Long Island beaches Thursday morning to determine whether swimming will be allowed again.
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