COASTAL FLOOD WARNING ALERT

Some serious stuff going on tonight.

Heard that a teenager has drowned at Carambola Beach this afternoon after being swept out.

Heard they've had to "evacuate" some areas around Csted and Palms--Elizabeths @ H20 area due to high waves/surf.

Way too serious! Apparently a 13 yr old girl who was wading in calf deep water got swept out and her 16 yr old brother dove in to rescue her. One body was found and the search continued for the other. Also, apparently a boat capsized off Cane Bay and the helicopters were out most of the evening trying to locate survivors/boat. Bad new for sure! Please stay out of the dangerous waters!

Went to the boardwalk. sections were lifting between Stixx and the surgarmill/Yachtless Club. water was coming through to the area on the other side of the boardwalk and filling in next to the bridge at Yachtless. No place safe to walk on the boardwalk.

If you have FB here are my pics.

http://www.facebook.com/marlene8431?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=2057776&id=1471455909

Way too serious! Apparently a 13 yr old girl who was wading in calf deep water got swept out and her 16 yr old brother dove in to rescue her. One body was found and the search continued for the other. Also, apparently a boat capsized off Cane Bay and the helicopters were out most of the evening trying to locate survivors/boat. Bad new for sure! Please stay out of the dangerous waters!

Heard from someone who was there that the girl is fine. It was the brother who was swept out.
I guess we'll know the story in the morning.

I have a good view of the sea in front of Condo Row.

Usually, there is a thin white line at the reef. For the past few days, that line has been much bigger and very active.

Wait for a few days until the situation calms down before venturing into the surf.

A 40 ketch that was blown on the reef during the last storm was driven off the reef and sunk in Teague Bay. All for the lack of a bit of rope.

Lots of issues here, including, if I were the Carambola mgmt I'd get some flags and signs made up and put them out on rough days. That area can be rough on a normal day.

They have a large sign when you first walk down the stairs with temperature, wind, visibility, and usually wave heights posted.
I'd assume there would have been a warning noting the rough waters.

I was at Carambola yesterday reading on the beach. The Water was WICKED. I saw the sign with water temp, etc. but no warnings or other advisories. One couple came by me with a boogie board that I think they rented from the beach shack at Carambola. I said hello and mentioned the rip currents in the area. But they went on down and went right into the water. I saw two grown men standing in, maybe 18 inches of water get swept off their feet. It was beautiful and awful at the same time. But you couldn't have paid me enough to get into the water.

Just spoke to my neighbor who was at H20/Hibiscus late yesterday afternoon. She said a rogue wave came through the restaurant and people and furniture were tumbling all around. The pool was empty (being redone I suppose) prior to the huge wave coming in, after the wave, the pool had about 3 ft. of brown/mucky water in it. A young teenage boy entered the pool to retrieve purses, wallets, cell phones, shoes, etc. from patrons at the bar/restaurant. My neighbor said people were hugging onto the the columns in the restaurant and were in waist deep water and that some of the 1st floor hotel rooms got flooded. Also said that the water went into the parking lot and across the street into the neighboring houses. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt or swept away.

They have a large sign when you first walk down the stairs with temperature, wind, visibility, and usually wave heights posted.
I'd assume there would have been a warning noting the rough waters.

Kindof unbelievable isn't it.
A kid drowns and they don't post danger signs.

I know the large sign about which you're speaking, but how many locals don't walk by there? I know I usually don't when I'm visiting the beach. Not to single Carambola out, --I've never seen rip/surf warnings anywhere else on the island.

Not to single Carambola out, --I've never seen rip/surf warnings anywhere else on the island.

I noticed at the entrance to Judith's Fancy two days ago there was a red flag, and yesterday, there were two flags -- one red, one yellow. I had never seen them before while running there, and I wonder if they have something to do with the surf. (Forgive my ignorance... I spent the last 3 years living in the desert!)

I don't want to sound harsh, cruel, cold, or have no empathy for people that lose their life in the ocean because of high surf, rip currents, etc. It is truly tragic and sad for a person to die because the ocean claimed them when simply staying away from the crashing surf or getting into the "angry water" would have prevented a "needless death". I'm not defending Carambola's supposed lack of posting a warning sign on the beach for all to read or see, but I don't think some people bother paying attention to signs regardless where they are placed, some feel as if they are invincible and some think -I won't go into the water that far.

The Weather Channel & CNN in particular have talked about lot of people (>100) that had to rescued up and down the U.S. E Coast when Hurricane Earl caused large waves & rip currents on east coast beaches. In the U.S., public beaches are manned by lifeguards w/signs posted everywhere about "dangerous surf", "stay out of water", or "swim/surf at your own risk". . It boggles my mind that with all that the warnings in place, over a 100 rescues took place with Hurricane Earl.

I'm sure the same thing will happen with Igor. Starting last Saturday, from Southern Florida to New England states, it's been on TV about beach warnings/ beach closings being posted. Again I suppose there will be many rescues from the ocean because of people that ignore the danger.

Jumbie -STX

I've heard from people who were on the beach that day at Carambola, including second-hand word from people from Sweet Bottom Dive Shop, that Carambola DID try to keep people out of the water, and that the family in question was warned. The timing and degree of this warning might be in question, but if I were management out there, I would have a huge sign posted at several locations saying "beach closed" and call the police if people ignored the warning.

And I wouldn't use it just for high surf warnings. There are some "normal" days when the surf there is more than the average swimmer can handle... and I'm speaking from experience at that beach. You might think it's not their responsibility, since the beach is public, but it is their 'business' we are also talking about. I would be surprised if they weren't already doing some sort of review of procedures.

The Atlantis resort in the Bahamas closes their beach when the surf is up, even when it doesn't seem that rough. They err on the side of caution. They fly red flags and there are personnel posted there to explain and enforce the closure.