The picturesque resort town and the surrounding region have seen high rip current risk as Hurricane Ernesto made its way through the Atlantic Ocean far offshore.
Eyewitness testimony said Jamieson had been caught in a rip current before drowning, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
How a rip current works Rip current risk will stretch nearly the entirety of the East Coast, Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said in a Saturday morning update.
As USA TODAY previously reported rip currents are narrow, strong currents that quickly flow away from the shore.
When the waves break along the coast, they can produce deadly rip currents – even at large distances from the storm.
The eye of Hurricane Ernesto was hundreds of miles off the U.S. s. on Saturday as it touched down in Bermuda, but rip current and high surf warnings indicate that the storm will pose a threat to beaches along the East Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service reported on Saturday that almost 10 million people lived in areas with rip current advisories, and over 1 million people were under high surf advisories. When beachgoers are far from the hurricane’s center, rip currents can pose a fatal risk. ).
In a video uploaded on Friday night, the local fire and rescue crew from North Carolina reported that at least one coastal home in the Outer Banks had fallen into the Atlantic Ocean. According to officials, a number of other houses could collapse as a result of Ernesto.
In a social media post, Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue stated, “Ocean conditions will be dangerous for swimming due to surf height and scattered debris now.”. “Please exercise caution. “.
Due to the risky rip currents caused by Ernesto, beaches in Brooklyn and Queens were closed by officials for the weekend in New York City. A warning about potentially fatal rip currents near the Jersey Shore was also issued by New Jersey officials.
As Hurricane Ernesto slowly moves northward toward Canada on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center predicted that it will continue to pelt Bermuda with strong winds and rain.
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Before Ernesto hit the island on Wednesday, it had already cut off power and running water to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Puerto Rico.
Lifeguards in New Jersey have reported numerous rescues.
On Saturday, there was a double red flag warning for swimmers at Cape May Beach, on the southernmost point of New Jersey. As a breeze and several feet of groundswell came onshore on Saturday afternoon, people heeded the calls, according to Rich Demers of the Cape May Beach Patrol.
Lifeguards issued two double red flags on Friday afternoon after saving forty people from the water, according to Demers. Strong currents were present on Saturday as well, and on Sunday the beach patrol planned to issue another double red flag warning.
He told USA TODAY, “Just be cautious whenever it gets a little sketchy.”. “Become knowledgeable about rip currents. “.
Despite warnings about rip currents, two men drown on Hilton Head, South Carolina.
According to the local sheriff’s office, two men drowned on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Friday. As Hurricane Ernesto moved far offshore through the Atlantic Ocean, there was a high risk of rip currents in the picturesque resort town and the surrounding area.
Nearly 10:30 in the morning. m. A drowning call was handled by Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies on Friday. Ralph Jamieson, 65, was being saved by emergency medical personnel and the beach patrol. Jamieson was ensnared in a rip current prior to drowning, according to eyewitness testimony, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
A little after 3:20 p.m. m. About three miles upshore, deputies were called to another drowning incident. Leonard Schenz, 73, was spotted in the water by witnesses before it seemed like he submerged. Local firemen made an effort to save lives, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dangerous rip current risk persisted on Saturday for beaches in Georgia and South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service Charleston office.
The operation of rip currents.
The National Hurricane Center’s director, Michael Brennan, stated in an update on Saturday morning that there is rip current risk almost all the way along the East Coast. He emphasized the deadly nature of far-off hurricanes.
This weekend, there will be dangerous rip currents, according to National Weather Service offices from Maine to Florida.
Brennan advised, “Just enter the water if you feel comfortable doing so, and heed any advice local lifeguards may give you.”. And to avoid becoming a statistic of Ernesto’s hazardous ocean conditions, please pay attention to those warning flags at the beach. “.
However, what are rip currents exactly? As previously reported by USA TODAY, rip currents are strong, narrow currents that swiftly move away from the shore. They have strength. They can move at speeds of up to 8 feet per second, or 5 points 5 mph, which is faster than any Olympic swimmer. Usually, they move at a speed of one to two feet per second. Typically, their width is limited to 80 feet.
Water typically flows uniformly back to the ocean when waves hit the beach. However, that consistent return of water is disrupted by low spots in the ocean floor that are close to surf or sandbar breaks. As a result, water rushes through a single spot, producing a strong outward rip current.
Remain calm if you’re entangled in a rip current. You are pulled out, not under, by rip currents. Till help arrives or you are able to flee, tread water or float. Next, swim against the current; instead, swim parallel to the beach. Try shouting or waving to get attention.
Before entering the water, check the conditions and become knowledgeable about rip currents. Never go swimming on a beach without a lifeguard.
Hours after Ernesto’s death, Bermuda is still experiencing hurricane conditions.
In a Saturday afternoon briefing, Michelle Pitcher, director of Bermuda Weather Service, stated that hurricane conditions persisted in Bermuda even hours after Ernesto’s death.
It was already 8:30 a.m. when the storm’s eye passed. M. As of Saturday afternoon, local time, Pitcher stated, Bermuda remained under a hurricane warning. Ernesto brought winds of 89 mph and 109 mph gusts to the National Museum of Bermuda early on Saturday morning. The museum is situated west of Hamilton, the capital.
Later on Saturday, winds gusting to 89 mph and reaching 74 mph in Bermuda were still hurricane-level conditions. As Ernesto moves north, Pitcher predicted that the archipelago would see tropical storm-force winds until after midnight in addition to a few inches of rain.
As authorities wait to assess the damage, nearly three-quarters of Bermuda are without electricity.
During a morning briefing, officials stated that Hurricane Ernesto had caused power outages in almost three-quarters of Bermuda.
According to Lyndon Raynor, director of Bermuda’s risk reduction management team, no significant damage has been reported and residents are being advised to stay inside. Eleven persons were occupying an emergency shelter, which Raynor said suggests more people are choosing to remain at home.
Nevertheless, when the situation improves, first responders would start a thorough assessment of the harm. The hurricane has forced the closure of Bermuda’s causeway, a vital route that passes through the archipelago. Structural engineers wouldn’t inspect it to reopen it until Sunday morning at the latest, according to Raynor.
Bermuda is an archipelago of islands that is a British Overseas Territory, home to about 64,000 people.
The national security minister, Michael Weeks, stated, “We need Bermudians, we need the residents, to stay off the streets, to stay sheltered, so that we can weather this storm safely, and hopefully, with no major damage, injury, or loss of life.”. “.
According to local officials, a house on the Outer Banks collapsed into the ocean.
In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, at least one house fell. Video of a two-story house swaying to and from the shoreline was posted by Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue on Friday night.
The local fire and rescue agency posted on social media, “Another house has collapsed due to swell from Ernesto.”. As the debris will be washing ashore over the next few days, kindly refrain from entering the ocean. Park Service will make an announcement regarding the cleanup. “.
The agency stated that several other houses in the neighborhood were in danger of collapsing. The agency stated in another post with pictures of the collapse’s damage, “We’re in for a rough weekend.”.
Hurricane Ernesto is where?
Even when a hurricane is far offshore, rip currents can still be fatal.
According to the hurricane center, a hurricane’s strong winds can produce hazardous waves that present a serious risk to seafarers, coastal residents, and tourists. Even far from the storm, waves breaking along the coast can create lethal rip currents.
The percentage of fatalities directly linked to rip currents caused by tropical cyclones has doubled in recent years, according to a report released by the American Meteorological Society last year. Hundreds of miles offshore, the authors discovered that deaths from far-off storms frequently happen one or two at a time.
Three people were killed by rip currents caused by Hurricane Bertha in 2008, even though the storm was more than a thousand miles offshore. Over the course of a week, 1,500 lifeguard rescues were needed in Ocean City, Maryland.
According to Jamie Rhome of the Hurricane Center, “all the other hazards in a hurricane have a visual cue, which is why rip currents are so deadly.”.
Holmes Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins when?
From June 1 to November 1st is Atlantic hurricane season. 30-31.
September is the season’s apex. 10. The Hurricane Center reports that the period with the most activity occurs between mid-August and mid-October.
Dinah Voyles Pulver from USA TODAY, John Gallas and Cheryl McCloud from USA TODAY Network, and others contributed.
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