Watch as Coast Guard rescues 4 NC boaters from storm surge created by Hurricane Ian
Fourteen-foot waves fueled by Hurricane Ian forced four people to abandon their boat in North Carolina’s Oregon Inlet Thursday, Sept 29.
The men were rescued just as the boat’s anchor line snapped, sending the vessel drifting into a sandbar, according to the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Video shared on Facebook shows the boat was in danger of capsizing as guardsmen pulled the struggling boaters out of the churning water by rope.
No injuries were reported among the mariners, who were not identified.
Investigators say the men issued a distress call after discovering the waves of 12 to 14 feet were preventing them from reaching safety.
Rescuers say the boat was anchored near the Oregon Inlet Bar, a notorious sand bar “only five feet underwater near the inlet’s entrance,” according to Cruisingodyssey.com.
The 30-foot catamaran, named the Katalyst, was found grounded on the north end of Oregon Inlet Thursday afternoon, according to the National Park Service.
Multiple storm warnings have been issued for the North Carolina coast in advance of Hurricane Ian’s anticipated landfall in South Carolina on Friday.
The storm had sustained winds of 85 mph as of 8 a.m. ET Friday and is generating life-threatening storm surge along the coast of both Carolinas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A high surf advisory is in effect for North Carolina through Saturday, including “dangerous rip currents, large breaking waves, and strong longshore currents.”
Up to 6 inches of rain is expected along the N.C. coast, forecasters say, and storm surge of nearly 4 feet could cover low lying areas.
“Dangerous marine conditions are expected for all offshore waters and the Pamlico Sound, with strong winds and dangerous seas building to create treacherous conditions for mariners,” forecasters say. “Stronger and more frequent rip currents will also exist along area beaches.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Watch as Coast Guard rescues 4 NC boaters from storm surge created by Hurricane Ian."