Hurricane Erin has been stirring up dangerous rip currents along much of the US East Coast.
More than a dozen people were rescued from rip currents at North Carolina’s Wrightsville Beach on Tuesday, following about 60 rescues at the beach Monday, according to Sam Proffitt, the town’s ocean rescue director.
“Some of these rips are pulling six to eight people out at a time,” he told CNN, describing the conditions as “very strong” and “dangerous.” Proffitt noted the volume of water moving and funneling out is so intense, it “really doesn’t matter how good of a swimmer you are.”
The beach issued a no-swim advisory through Friday, but Proffitt said most of those rescued have been beachgoers going for a swim on what is seemingly just another hot, sunny day.
Just north of Wrightsville, 15 people were rescued in Surf City on Monday, officials there said.
Popular beaches in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey, as well as public beaches in New York City, have also enacted no swimming mandates until Hurricane Erin’s threat passes.