VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — While Hurricane Erin is forecast to remain well offshore, its presence is already being felt at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Choppy waters and strong rip currents are drawing surfers to the shore, even as emergency managers urge residents and visitors to stay weather aware.
“When you have a Category 4, Category 5 storm off the coast that’s not gonna hit, that’s a dream for a surfer,” one surfer said. “We’re just not gonna get some waves in the wave garden…but in the ocean too.”
Surfers were out in force Monday ahead of the Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships, set to return this weekend.
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Live blog: Tracking Hurricane Erin in Virginia & North Carolina
But with Erin stirring in the Atlantic, city officials are stressing safety.
“We’re still absolutely monitoring. We’re doing enhanced monitoring right now as a city to see what those impacts are going to be,” said Renee McKinnon, deputy emergency management coordinator for the city of Virginia Beach. “We’re watching to see what the outer bands of Hurricane Erin are going to do to Virginia Beach. What those impacts could possibly be.”
McKinnon said residents should take the same precautions they would during any major storm.
“Do a walk around your residence, ensure everything's tied down, check your gutters in the streets to make sure things are cleared,” she said.
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While no beach closures are currently planned, McKinnon said the decision will be made on a day-by-day basis. Officials are also working with organizers of the surfing competition to monitor conditions.
“The biggest thing is to sign up for VB Alert, to pay attention to whatever warnings or messaging is put out about the beach before you head out to the beach,” McKinnon said.
Some families are already changing plans.
“Yep, we’re going to Williamsburg…we’re just gonna get a room with a pool,” one local mother said.
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For others, like skimboarder Bobby Ashmore, the storm swell is a chance to ride.
“We pretty much live for this,” Ashmore said. “It’s a little windy right now…I think the swell is going to pick up in the next couple of days.”
Still, he warned that the waves can be dangerous.
“If you’re not a good swimmer or not a good surfer, I wouldn’t even get in the water…even in the close shallows you can get sucked out really easily,” Ashmore said. “It can pull you out really quick, and you can be in a dangerous situation before you know it.”
McKinnon emphasized that residents and visitors should not let their guard down, even with Erin tracking offshore.
“We just ask that people, please, before you go out to the beach or go anywhere, just check to see what’s going on with the current messaging from the city,” she said.
