Some Prepare, Some Vacation As Hermine Approaches Jersey Shore: Photos And Video

Despite a state of emergency declared by the governor and warnings about dangerous surf and the possibility of significant coastal flooding, residents and visitors to the Jersey Shore spent Saturday making the most of the calm before the storm.

Cloudy skies in the morning gave way to sunshine in the afternoon, and despite winds that already were kicking up sand and carving the beach, people flocked to the boardwalk in both Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach, where children rode amusement rides and teens enjoyed ice cream cones.

The tall rides — the Sky Coaster, the Sky Scraper and the Sky Ride, which is the chair ride that parallels the boardwalk from Sherman Avenue north to Hiering Avenue — all were shut down because of the high winds. But the lower rides all were operating, entertaining the youngsters in the crowd.

The beaches in Seaside Heights, however — along with the beaches all the way along the coastline in Ocean County — were barren, and a pickup truck for the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol rolled along the edge of the beach to ensure no one snuck down to the water. Beach entrances were locked shut, with the lone exception of one where television news crews were being allowed access for their live reports.

In Ortley Beach, yellow caution tape was wound across the beach stairs, and front- end loaders were building an emergency dune in front of the existing dunes to provide a buffer from the water. A storm surge of as much as 3 to 5 feet and tidal heights of up to 8 feet had been forecast, though forecasters on Sunday morning said a move eastward by Hermine has reduced the potential somewhat.

A woman and her three children stopped to watch the work.

"I still have PTSD from Sandy," she said. She and her husband had been staying in Staten Island, New York, with family; flooding trapped them on the second floor of the home.

Hearing that Hermine is significantly smaller than Sandy — Sandy's tropical storm-force winds spread across 950 miles, and its hurricane-force center was 300 miles across; Hermine's tropical force winds are 400 miles across — seemed to ease her fears some. Forecasters say that while Hermine is smaller, the potential that the storm could sit off the coast for a few days brings with it a serious flooding risk that people should not ignore.

In the Ocean Beach section of Toms River, block parties shut down some of the smaller private roads. In Normandy Beach, where access was open but red "no swimming" warning flags were flying, people were walking the beach and sitting in the sand, enjoying cocktails.

The scene was similar in Bay Head, where kids jumped off a ledge cut in the beach by the waves. Most of the people walking were content to stay out of the water, but there were exceptions: a man swam, alone for at least 10 minutes as the waves pounded. When he finally got out of the water, he took a few photos then disappeared into a nearby home.

At the Point Pleasant Inlet, where the Coast Guard had blocked access earlier in the day Saturday, people climbed the jetty to get a better view as the sunlight began to fade. Waves raced along the walls of the inlet, and fishermen picked their back to the sidewalk from the jetty on the Manasquan side.

The beaches in Ocean County will remain closed Sunday and Monday, as Hermine continues to build the intensity of the waves. Take a look at more photos below.

Photos by Karen Wall