Local towns along the coast are stepping up efforts to make beaches safer and more accessible. Atlantic Beach is rolling out plastic walkways each morning to provide a stable surface for wheelchairs. Emerald Isle is focusing on reducing the number of drownings with the installation of over 100 flotation devices along the surf.
There’s one thing for sure… It’s hot outside. A perfect time to enjoy the wind and waves at the beach. Scott Cummings made the eight hour trip from Franklin, North Carolina for vacation.
“We come here the first time we come. And we like it, it’s good and calm. The lifeguards are right next door so we don’t have to worry about the boys. We just like this spot.”
His bucket hat provides little shade, so Cummings is keeping company with a cooler and a beach chair. He’s one of about a hundred people frolicking at the Circle
Local seaside communities, specifically Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach, are ramping up efforts to make their beaches safer and more accessible. Fire Chief with the Atlantic Beach Fire Department Adam Snyder is enthusiastic about new accessibility for people confined to wheelchairs. He says 5 foot wide plastic walkways will be rolled out each morning between Memorial Day and Labor Day to provide a stable surface to access the beach.
“We’re demoing several different types of beach mats looking for which one will be the best for our area. As you can imagine, we have a lot of wind here, south winds that cause a lot of sand to be built up. So we’re kind of demoing different mats to make sure that we’re getting the mat that is going to be suitable and less likely to be covered in sand so that people can still gain access to the beach.”
At the Circle, a line of blue mesh mats stretch about 60 feet from the parking area out into the sand. Chief Snyder says they plan to add enough walkway to get close to the high tide line. Currently, the town has only two beach wheelchairs available to handicapped individuals. They’re available to use free of charge and can be signed out at the lifeguard stand, on a first come first served basis.
“Well we feel especially since we’re in a large military community where we have a lot of disabled veterans, that everyone should have access to the beach at all times, including the handicapped. So we’re very proactive when it comes to that.”
Snyder says he hasn’t actually seen anyone in a wheelchair use the walkway yet, probably because it’s brand new. He expects the portable path will get more use as word gets around and more people realize it’s there.
While Atlantic Beach is in the process of improving handicapped beach access, Emerald Isle is focusing on reducing the number of drownings along their beaches with new rescue tubes. Town Manager Frank Rush says there’s now more than 100 bright yellow floatation devices set up about every tenth of a mile along the surf.
“It’s essentially a long tube basically that has a strap on the end of it. Roughly about 8 inches in diameter and about three feet long, really just a flotation device to assist people when they’re in the water.”
The town originally installed 12 rescue tubes and they’ve been worth every penny. Last summer, a 13 year old boy caught in a rip current was saved by a bystander aided by a rescue tube. Tragically, a 16-year old boy from the same group drowned. Rush says this unfortunate incident inspired the community to raise funds to install around 100 rescue tubes along the entire 12 mile stretch of Emerald Isle coastline.
“We offered the opportunity for folks to sponsor a rescue tube for $90. And that was the cost for the post, the signage and the actual tube itself and the labor associated with it. And we had responses from about 100 people so we brought in a little more than $9,000.”
Rescue tubes have been installed at almost all of Emerald Isle’s 75 beach access locations, with some of the more popular beach access sites having more than one.
“It was just used recently in a rescue down at Point Emerald Villas condominium complex in Emerald Isle. So if it helps one person, it’s absolutely worth it.”
If you see someone is in danger, Rush urges people to call 9-1-1 first before trying to help since trying to save a person who fears they’re drowning is a danger to the rescuer.
In addition to rescue tubes, Emerald Isle has lifeguards at several of their public beach access locations. Three towns over, Atlantic Beach also has lifeguards on duty at the main circle, constantly scanning over 843 feet of beach. Fire Chief Adam Snyder.
“We provide three lifeguard towers and on a daily basis we have four lifeguards working from the hours of 8:30am to 5:30pm.”
The Atlantic Beach Fire Department is responsible for about six miles of coastline, from Fort Macon to the Double Tree hotel and four wheelers, ATVs and a truck patrol the coastline ready to respond at a moment’s notice. This is a point of comfort for Amy Jones, from Liberty, North Carolina. She’s brought her three kids to play at the beach.
“The lifeguards are all here. My kids are 13, 10 and 8. So we need to be somewhere where there’s lifeguards around. I can feel that they’re safe. The more red people I see, the better.”
