Jersey Shore Residents Begin To Hit Town After Tropical Storm Elsa's Departure
BRIGANTINE, N.J. (CBS) -- As the waves wash against the shore, people are starting to hit the town now that Elsa is no more. Forecast predictions showed this tropical storm dropping rain totals of one to two inches and wind gusts ranging from 40 to 50 miles per hour.
"We were fortunate that it didn't get as close to the coast as we thought," resident Ned Void said.
But what formed on Friday passed through Brigantine without a hitch.
"I thought it would be a little worse, but it seemed to be fine," Beth Barling said. "I mean, we're staying pretty much off the beach so I was a little worried about that being not safe, but we're OK."
"I had furniture out in the back deck that moved, boom, boom, boom. South end, I talked to people, they didn't even hear the wind. In their mind, it wasn't a big deal," resident Faith Judge said.
Judge has been living on the island for nearly 30 years. A self-proclaimed storm expert, she says this storm warning didn't worry her.
"I think most people in Brigantine really look for surges more than they do wind events and we weren't getting a surge. So it really wasn't a concern," Judge said.
Even though Elsa was not exceptional and the threat of flooding and power outages were null, some are still happy they took it seriously.
"I think after [Hurricane] Sandy, that was a big lesson, and a lot of people here on the coast, they do watch the news to make sure we get the right information and do the right things," Void said.
While Elsa did not make any major waves for the people in Brigantine, residents say there was still beauty during and after the storm.
In Wildwood, as Elsa moved out, surfers moved in.
"Calm and clean," Jon Petele said.
Petele was one of the many surfers at North Wildwood taking advantage of these massive waves. This morning during our newscast, the Atlantic Ocean was roaring and in the midst of the violent surf was Rob Delmonte.
"It's great. I mean the current is strong, be careful if you don't know what you're doing. But the waves are really nice," Delmonte said.
These powerful storms and hurricanes are known for destruction.
Elsa's path led to one person dead in Florida and dozens of flood and tornado warnings along the East Coast, but on the flip side, in North Wildwood, vacationers like Bonnie Herb say we dodged a big one.
"I don't think we got hit as hard as hard as they thought we were going to get hit," Herb said.
As she stays out of the water, these surfers are enjoying a piece of paradise.
"The water is nice. It's about almost 80 degrees," Petele said.
Officials are warning the public to stay out of the water if the beach is unguarded.
CBS3's Jasmine Payoute and Wakisha Bailey contributed to this report.
