Few Earl-y Signs of Hurricane at Jones Beach

A tropical storm watch was issued for Long Island Wendesday as Hurricane Earl was barreling toward the southeast coast packing 135 MPH winds still listed as a category 4 storm. Jones Beach in Wantagh has experienced few signs that Earl is heading toward Long Island, but all that could change Friday afternoon as Earl enters the waters off New York.

As of Wednesday evening, the storm was located 1,000 miles south of New York City. Weather experts predict Earl will still be a category 2 hurricane as it approaches the area.

Lifeguards were constantly monitoring the surf conditions on Wednesday, making certain that swimmers were not in any way in danger.

Local officials continue to pay close attention to weather reports and what is going on with Earl. The threat level is set at medium, but that level could change depending on the exact track. With the beach season winding down and temperatures reaching the 90s this week, swimmers are hitting the beaches in droves.

Even though Earl was lurking, that did not deter sunbathers from flocking to Jones Beach.

 "The temperature is in the 90s and the water in the upper 70s and the surf conditions are acceptable for people to have an enjoyable time in the water," said George Gorman, deputy regional director for New York State Parks. "Right now there are no restrictions on swimming."

Gorman said the water in Jones Beach was experiencing a little higher tides than normal, based on the beach's high water mark and some discoloration on the sand.

"But we did not see any flooding or major rip currents," Gorman said.

Robert Moses Beach in Babylon was experiencing much more flooding, said Gorman, who added that a main lifeguard stand was in danger of being washed away.

Even though the east end of Long Island may take the brunt of the storm and Nassau County probably will not take a direct hit, precautions were still being taken to safeguard Jones Beach. Gorman said trash receptacles were being removed, as well as lifeguard equipment and other items that could be tossed by the strong winds or washed away.

He said that on Thursday night and into Friday, workers are prepared to stack sandbags around buildings and shacks at Jones Beach to prevent flooding.

"We are sandbagging anything we think could get flooded," Gorman said.

Gorman said Jones Beach has a huge beachfront, which would protect it from severe erosion, but Robert Moses is not so lucky.

 Local officials are in touch with the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management, which is the overall command center during powerful storms.

 On Thursday at 2 p.m., lifeguards at Jones Beach are scheduled to hold a conference call with nine other beach patrols, including Montauk, Long Beach, Robert Moses and the Rockaways, to get a glimpse of what Earl is doing to wave height, the riptides and current.