High surf danger means another day of North Carolina beach warnings
PINE KNOLL SHORES, North Carolina (WTVD) -- No swimming warnings continued for another day Tuesday as four people have died in North Carolina rip currents.
The National Weather Service said high surf conditions exist from Surf City in the south to Duck in the north along the Outer Banks.
The Town of Pine Knoll Shores issued a Black Flag No-Swimming advisory for all public beach access locations Monday afternoon.
All homeowner association and private home/condominium owners are also strongly advised to stay out of the ocean until surf conditions improve.
The town of Emerald Isle also put out a warning Monday morning advising beachgoers to stay out of the ocean because of the dangerous rip currents.
According to Emerald Isle Town Manager Frank Rush, the warning is in effect until further notice for the entire stretch of the 12 miles of beach in Emerald Isle. Beaches are marked with red flags.
The latest advisories come a day after a young man died after he was caught in a rip current in nearby Atlantic Beach.
Justin Eakes, 21, of Greenville, died in a Greenville hospital after being flown there by helicopter on Sunday. He was trying to save others in the water when the incident happened.
That incident cames just 24 hours after a man died trying to save two teenage girls who were also caught in a rip current at Atlantic Beach.
A Goldsboro teen died at a hospital Monday, nine days after he was pulled from a rip current at Emerald Isle Beach.
Tyreese Worsley, 16, died Monday morning at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.
Worsley attended Eastern Wayne High School, where he was a football player.
His friend, 17-year-old Elijah Hinnant, died June 10 in the same rip current at Emerald Isle.
Chief of the Atlantic Beach Fire Department, Adam Snyder, said these losses affect the community as a whole.
"It's devastating to us, not only to the family but to the emergency responders," Snyder said. "We love people to come here and enjoy. We have a beautiful town, a beautiful beach, beautiful water, and we don't like to see something happen in this case. So, it effects all of us as a whole entire town."
Pine Knoll Shores Mayor Kem Jones has even been walking the coastline and encouraging folks to stay on the shore.
"It's very frustrating, and I can't do anything about it but warn people," he said. "This is not a good time to be in the water. People need to be aware of the rip currents anytime you go to the beach anywhere. There's always a rip current, but sometimes it worst than others."
