At Least 1 Dead from Rogue Hurricane Wave

Three Swept to Sea Watching High Surf from Hurricane Bill at Maine National Park; 1 Dead in Fla. Surf

(CBS/AP)  Updated 8:45 p.m. EDT

The Coast Guard says a 7-year-old girl has died after a large wave stirred up by Hurricane Bill swept her and two others off a rocky ledge at Acadia National Park in Maine.

The rogue wave from Hurricane Bill swept spectators out to sea as the storm-churned surf attracted onlookers and daredevils along the Eastern Seaboard.

Steve McCausland of the Maine Public Safety Department says the girl's name isn't being released but that she was from New York state. The girl was one of three people plucked from the water by rescuers. The other two were a man and a 12-year-old girl who were hospitalized.

The Coast Guard says the girl was unresponsive when she was rescued.

The three who were swept to sea were part of an early afternoon crowd that had gathered on some rocks at the park's Thunder Hole, a popular tourist attraction where waves often crash into a crevasse and make a thundering sound while splashing high in the air.

"This is absolutely the effects of Hurricane Bill," coupled with the effect of high tide, park ranger Sonya Berger said.

The girl was unresponsive when she was rescued, the woman appeared to have a broken leg and the man had a previous heart condition that appeared to be acting up, Coxon said. Other people are believed to still be lost in the waves but Coxon did not know how many. The waves were running 10 to 12 feet high with 25-knot winds along the coast, he said.

"It was actually a rogue wave resulting from a groundswell," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Joseph Tallent told CBS News. "Possibly more than 20 people were involved in this. Nine people were taken to the hospital at Mt. Desert Island and three people were swept to sea."

"If two waves come together at exactly the right place, that can cause bigger rogue waves to form and those are very dangerous," said Jeff Beradelli, meteorologist for CBS station WFOR in Miami.

Although Bill stayed several hundred miles out to sea, meteorologists warn large waves and dangerous rip currents from Florida to Maine remain a threat.

In Daytona, Fla. rough seas lashed the coast, and 20 miles to the south, a 54-year-old man drowned while body surfing, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.

Volusia County Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn said Angel Rosa of Orlando was unconscious when he washed ashore in rough waves fueled by Bill at New Smyrna Beach, along the central Florida coast. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Lifeguards there also rescued a handful of other swimmers believed to have suffered spinal injuries.

Up the coast in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., rip currents sent life guards to rescue at least 50 swimmers.

The center of the hurricane was about 400 miles west-southwest of Newfoundland late Sunday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. Its maximum sustained winds had dropped to 75 mph, and it was moving northeast at 35 mph. The storm is expected to continue to lose strength as it moves over cooler waters.

Along Nova Scotia's Atlantic coast, the storm delivered steady downpours and fierce winds, forcing flight cancellations and temporary road closings. Bill ripped branches from trees in Halifax and elsewhere, and there was some localized flooding. Some 40,000 Nova Scotia Power customers lost power, but it was gradually being restored Sunday.

Craig MacLaughlan, CEO of Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office, said no major damage has been reported in the province.

"We can be blessed that it has moved off a bit and that we're not getting some of the damage that we thought (we would)," he said.

The storm drew onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of crashing waves as it marched through Atlantic Canada.

Despite repeated warnings, people gathered in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, and along the boardwalk in downtown Halifax as swells grew steadily in strength and size.

"So far, it's pretty wild," said Heather Wright, who was walking along the Halifax harbor.

"We're not going right to the edges or nothing. And we're here mainly to sightsee a bit and go back home and ride it out."

The National Hurricane Center had lifted the tropical storm warning for the Massachusetts coastline, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket early Sunday morning, and President Barack Obama and his family arrived on Cape Cod on Sunday afternoon for vacation after the storm had passed well to the east.

Several people had to be rescued from the water in Massachusetts, including a couple of kayakers who got stranded in the heavy seas off Plymouth, said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

He said strong rip tides and beach erosion were the biggest concerns Sunday.

"Our biggest thing right now is just the rough surf," he said.

Dozens of people showed up at South Beach on Martha's Vineyard with their cameras and camcorders to watch the big waves and churning Atlantic.

Tony Dorsey of Gofftown, N.H., has a camp on the Vineyard. He said the waves came up to the top of the dunes at South Beach during high tide, and included "good-size rollers.

"It overwhelmed the beach," he said. "It reformed the beach. It's not destroyed a lot, but it's going to reshape the beach."

The storm delayed or halted ferry services from New York to Maine, and kept many beaches closed.

In Montauk, N.Y., swimmers weren't allowed in the water, but surfers were out riding the waves. State parks spokesman George Gorman said almost 2,000 surfers showed up at Montauk on Sunday - the most ever counted there. They enjoyed waves that reached as high as 16 feet.

Some areas that had prepared for the worst saw nothing. Libby Russ, who owns the Three Belles Marina in Niantic, Conn., said a few swimming floats were hauled in from Long Island Sound on Saturday, but that was the extent of the excitement.

"We didn't have a stitch of breeze," said Libby.

[carolcape]

It is very selfish to go in a restricted area when told not to. These coast guard and rescue workers risk their lives everyday when they have to. But to be irresponsible in going in and knowing it is not safe, is selfish. Now this man that took his children to see waves is planning a funeral, so he was totally irresponsible in taking his children to that area. Here in our part of the country in Canada, there were persons in an area that was restricted and the police told them if they went back in the water again they would be fined $800.00, so that changed their tune. Totally irresponsible to put other persons at risk that have to come and save you when you get in trouble.

[IrishWench01]

Not to diminish the loss, but... What is a hurricane wave if it is not a rogue? What an absurd headline!

[parisdakar]

Surfers are allowed in the water, but swimmers aren't? What's with that?

[bobnjersey]

[Surfers are allowed in the water, but swimmers aren't? What's with that? ]

you're obviously a swimmer. if you were a surfer you wouldn't need to ask the question.

[mike18881]

bobnjersey, let me guess, your a sufer. If you get knocked off your board arn't you now a swimmer? If you drown do we now feel sorry for you, or make fun of you.Sometimes I wonder what some of these posters think when they post.

[bobnjersey]

[bobnjersey, let me guess, your a sufer. If you get knocked off your board arn't you now a swimmer? If you drown do we now feel sorry for you, or make fun of you.Sometimes I wonder what some of these posters think when they post. ]

as a surfer when you fall off the board you're still a surfer ... one who understands intimately the tidal dynamics ... the currents that source from those tidal dynamics ... and your relative insignifignace to it all. for this and other reasons ... as a surfer i'm likely to be much more comfortable within this environment ... conditioned to the activity from having done it regularly ... and very likely to be wearing a wetsuit ... which will allow me to sustain in the water for much longer than 'a swimmer'.

[swin5]

Mixed feelings about this. When I was at Thunder Hole last fall, it was not much more than a gurgle. Several days later, however, a hurricane was forecast and as I was staying close to the coast I decided it was time to go home to Pennsylvania. I figured that inches of rain and possible floods would not make staying around very pleasant. When I was at Yellowstone, the rangers had the entire geyser field above Old Faithful closed due to bear sightings. As this was probably my only trip there in my lifetime, I would have preferred to be allowed in and I would have taken the risk. The area is open so you can see at a distance and I carry a very loud hiker's whistle that would scare most wildlife. However, I was by myself. I would never have considered going in to the area with a child in my care. I did come across 2 very large black bears at Sequoia that were only about 150 feet away - to avoid bear contacts in Sequoia you would have to close the whole park. In the climate controlled artificial world we create for ourselves, it is easy to forget that nature is still in control. Many people don't even know about the natural hazards that exist in the areas where they live - fewer still are aware of the hazards in areas that are unfamiliar to them.

[longtree-2009]

stupid people doing stupid things end their stupid lives prematurely.

[formrusmcsgt]

Other people are believed to still be lost in the waves but Coxon did not know how many.
-----
Absolutely moronic.

[gramto8]

On topic, the families of these people who have been swept to sea are now hurting. They have probably seen the error of their ways. The ones who are gone will be remembered by them as loved ones, not idiots. We could at least give them the honor of referring to them as people.

I have never been to the ocean when such waves were coming in, but have been caught in a rip tide. It is quite a frightening thing. It happened about 40 years ago, and I still remember the feelings of helplessness and terror. These folks that were caught by this rogue wave were surprised... hence the name 'rogue wave.'

[gramto8]

Hey people.. Maybe the place where the 'rouge' wave happened was having a bit of a red tide problem as well.

[libraD]

I agree with you, CrzyCdn and maistir. When I was in school, the teacher used newspapers to help teach current events. Given what's being put out there these days, it's no wonder that the kids graduate with terrible English language skills. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation in printed (and spoken) news stories should be as close to perfect as humanly possible (that means NOT relying on spellcheck, but actually using the brain of an EDUCATED copy editor). I'm not sure who to blame for the obvious decline in the quality of our newspapers (online and in print) - the inept teachers or the poor-quality newspapers (if they're used as teaching aids).

[cupcakegrands]

I am a teacher, and yes, some are inept. As I sit here trying to catch up on news events, I have to tell you that I have put in a 60 hour week and returned home from spending 7 hours in my classroom on a Sunday. I love teaching, but the useless, mindless paperwork that has taken top priority of our federal, state, and local administrators is getting the best of me. This is the tip of the iceberg. I wouldn't recommend "teaching" to anyone.

[m1054v]

I think you've have lost track of the important part of the artical where the seven year old baby girl was swept away and has been taken from her parents and all of us. They should have kept her from the danger that was present. They will never forgive themselves, nor will they ever have her back, rouge wave of not.

[libraD]

To "jsf14": "pubished"? OMG!!! Doesn't anyone give a crap anymore?!

[CrzyCdn]

No time for copyediting? That's like saying there's no time for quality. Jeez. Was everyone raised relying on spellcheck?

[libraD]

Who the heck writes and/or proofreads this stuff anyway? "...Rouge Hurricane Wave"??? Surely you mean rough. Geez, you'd think that there'd be more attention paid to what's printed since it's on the internet and it reaches MORE readers than a newspaper or TV news could.

[Benton09]

It's a generational problem if you can't spell when you have that college degree. You could at least use spell check and the computer will do it for you. Back when I went to college, (when we were using rock tablets), we could at least spell. Proof reading is a lost art in journalism.

[ffoulkes-2009]

Why hire a proof reader if you have all of us to tell them when they make a mistake?

[zky1925]

The "Rouge" in the title really speaks volumes about the rapid deterioration of education quality in this country.

[jsf14]

No, just the speed with which the news now gets pubished. We mistype, and there's no time for copyediting.

[gramto8]

Copy editing (also copy-editing and copyediting)

[incog-nito]

Hate to say this, but you don't have to stand right at the edge to watch ocean waves. What do you really gain by doing this? It's like people at the Grand Canyon who stand right at the cliff's edge with their binoculars. The Canyon is about 1 mile wide, so by standing right at the edge they get closer by 1 mile minus a few feet. No wonder a few fall in every now and then.

[kno-1]

Oh no! It's a "ROUGE HURRICANE WAVE!" Doesn't CBS even have 1 proofer?! It's even on the Home Page!

[Musketeerwang]

Scooter68, not sure what you mean. A cursory look on Google Books will show that 'athleticism' has been a word since at least 1896.

[halfbasque]

Check the headline, please. It was a "rogue" wave that hit, not a "rouge" (red) wave.

Good grief...

[CrzyCdn]

Was the wave actually red? In Canada, rouge means red in French - not that we care. We do have the occasional rogue wave that may sweep one out to sea, but I've never seen a rouge wave.

[aqmoulthrop]

Your headline reads "Rouge" wave... It should be "Rogue".

[brianbwb-2009]

"It was actually a rouge wave resulting from a groundswell," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Joseph Tallent told CBS News."

Maybe it was a "red tide"?

[brianbwb-2009]

"It was actually a rouge wave resulting from a groundswell," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Joseph Tallent told CBS News."

Maybe it was a "red tide"?