New York City-area seashores reopen however nonetheless see excessive rip present threat in Erin’s wake

Beaches within the New York City space and New Jersey have been  open Saturday, however swimming advisories and bans remained in place as there continues to be a excessive rip present threat in Hurricane Erin’s wake.

The metropolis’s Office of Emergency Management issued a warning for life-threatening rip currents through 8 p.m. Sunday, reminding swimmers to remain close to lifeguards and keep away from swimming close to pink flags.

Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced swimming might resume Saturday at Long Island’s Jones Beach State Park and beachgoers at Robert Moses State Park might reenter the water as much as their knees, however swimming was nonetheless not allowed at Hither Hills State Park close to Montauk due to surf situations. 

The metropolis stated swimming and wading have been not recommended Saturday at Staten Island’s Cedar Grove Beach, Wolfe’s Pond Beach and South Beach.

Lifeguards rescue a number of individuals from water at Rockaway Beach

Lifeguards at Rockaway Beach in Queens obtained a spherical of applause Saturday after rescuing a number of individuals from the water.

Gary Velasquez and his girlfriend, Kennedy Magee, obtained caught in rip currents together with a minimum of one different individual.

“I couldn’t touch the ground,” stated Magee, who’s 4 months pregnant. “We were by the rocks, like, waist [deep], and then the waves started getting really big and we ended up all the way over there, all the way in the back. Like, it was insane.”

“I was trying my best to swim out of there, and then I was running out of breath little by little,” Velasquez stated. “‘Let me just keep swimming, no way I’m about to die here.’ That’s all that was going through my mind, and then they just came right on time. Right on time for my safety.”

A seaside patrol drone was deployed, and a minimum of a dozen lifeguards labored collectively to make use of a rope hooked to a buoy to drag the swimmers and lifeguards again to shore.

Surfer and former lifeguard Andrey Moiseyenko occurred to be within the water close by.

“He’s like ‘help, I can’t breathe,'” Moiseyenko stated.

Moiseyenko stated he suggested the swimmer to remain calm.

“I was telling him to hold onto the board and I’m gonna pull him with my leash, but it was too strong. I couldn’t pull both of us,” he stated. “The waves look smaller now, but the rip is still there, so you can’t let it fool you.”

The metropolis reminds swimmers that lifeguards are on responsibility at its seashores seven days per week from 10 a.m. to six p.m. via Sept. 7, and that nobody is allowed within the water when lifeguards aren’t on responsibility.

Man drowns at Fire Island seaside

Suffolk County Police stated a person drowned at Sailors Haven seaside on Fire Island.

South Carolina resident Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was swimming within the ocean on Saturday afternoon when he obtained caught in a rip present, police stated.

Lifeguards and Fire Island National Seashore workers managed to drag Mohammed out of the water round 2:45 p.m., in keeping with police.

Mohammed was airlifted to an area hospital, the place he was pronounced lifeless.

First Alert Forecast

Erin is now a post-tropical cyclone because it strikes even additional out into the Atlantic Ocean, however its results will linger all through the weekend alongside the area’s shoreline from Long Island to the Jersey Shore.

The threat for harmful rip currents is the best concern on the native seashores, the place they might develop at any time. Wave heights will regularly lower over the weekend, dropping from 4-8 toes on Saturday to 3-7 toes by Sunday.

Although Sunday will not characteristic the crystal clear skies displayed on Friday and Saturday, it nonetheless appears to be an honest day. Besides extra clouds in place, humidity ranges will improve, making it really feel somewhat uncomfortable at instances.

There is also an opportunity of showers, and perhaps even a thunderstorm later within the day, primarily north and west of town.

Most areas will keep dry although, as highs prime out within the low to mid 80s.

First Alert Weather maps

Mark Prussin

contributed to this report.