Naomi (L) from Lake Como and Priscilla from Key West pose with the Blogmobile in front of Days. Paul Goldfinger photo. 5/3/13 ©
Friday, May 3, 2013
It seems that FEMA believes that boardwalks are just for recreation. Tell that to the three people who were saved today in Asbury Park.
We met Naomi and Priscilla today over by Days. They stopped for ice cream in the Grove, but they had just performed a good deed on the Asbury boards. It was late in the afternoon, and they were enjoying the end of a sunny afternoon when they spotted a scary event out in the surf. Back where the waves were breaking, a father and his two young children were in a small fishing boat. The kids were wearing heavy jackets and life vests. The waves got rough, and the boat capsized.
These observant women called 911, while some nearby surfers came to the rescue. The surfers helped the children make it to shore. The father managed to get back also, but he had a head injury. More help quickly arrived at the boardwalk.
What if Asbury Park didn’t have that boardwalk where our out-of-towners could stroll and watch and enjoy and help others? And how about those surfers who who were on the scene? That Asbury beachfront became a place where lives could be saved. It’s not just about recreation. It’s how things work near the ocean at the Jersey Shore.
—Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger
Dedicated to Naomi and Priscilla: Joe Temperley “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.”