Hurricane Erin Palm Beach impact: Near-drowning prompts rip current warning
The incident happened Aug. 18 on the beach near Sunrise Avenue, said Palm Beach Fire Rescue spokesman Assistant Chief Joseph Sekula. The person was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, he said.
The town sent an alert on Aug. 19 warning of the high risk of rip currents caused by Hurricane Erin, which is not expected to make landfall in Florida but is causing dangerous ocean conditions, forecasters said.
There is a high risk of rip currents along Palm Beach County beaches through the evening of Aug. 21, and a high surf advisory in effect through noon Aug. 23, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
"Beach conditions along the East Coast will become increasingly dangerous this week due to long-period ocean swell from distant Major Hurricane Erin," Palm Beach Fire Rescue officials said in the alert.
That risk will continue through the week and conditions will improve into early next week, Fire Rescue said.
Still, beachgoers should be aware that surf conditions could still be rough with a higher risk of rip currents for about a week, Fire Rescue said.
A rip current is a strong, narrow flow of water that extends from the shore with a strong pull past the surf zone, according to the National Weather Service.
Rip currents can pull even strong swimmers away from shore very quickly, Palm Beach Fire Rescue said in its alert.
To escape a rip current, swimmers can try to swim parallel to the shore instead of toward it, Fire Rescue said.
"The most important thing to remember if you are ever caught in a rip current is not to panic," Palm Beach Fire Rescue said in its alert. "Continue to breathe, try to keep your head above water, and don't exhaust yourself fighting against the force of the current."
Swimmers who are unable to escape a rip current should face toward the shoreline and call or wave to get help, the National Weather Service said.
People visiting beaches in Palm Beach should swim close to a lifeguard tower, check the conditions board and look for hazard flags, Fire Rescue said. A red flag means there is a high rip current and strong surf.
While Phipps Ocean Park is closed for a $31 million renovation, that area of the coastline as well as Midtown Beach are staffed by the town's lifeguards, Sekula said.
The heavy surf will also cause some localized erosion on beaches, National Weather Service forecasters said.
To check daily beach conditions in Palm Beach, call 561-835-4693.
Where is Hurricane Erin?
As of the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. advisory on Aug. 19, Hurricane Erin was forecast to remain away from the U.S. in the Atlantic Ocean.
While the eye of the storm is expected to remain offshore, areas of coastal North Carolina north into New England could experience tropical storm conditions and storm surge through Aug. 22, the National Hurricane Center said.
Mayor Danielle Moore at the Town Council's Aug. 12 meeting encouraged residents to sign up for Palm Beach's emergency alert system by going to townofpalmbeach.com/1281/Alerts-News-Releases-and-Calendar-Notice and click the "Sign Up" button.
This story was updated to add new information.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Hurricane Erin: Near-drowning prompts rip current alert in Palm Beach
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