Long Island's Sun and Surf Beach Club remains closed due to tornado damage as sister club reopens

Long Island's Sun and Surf Beach Club remained closed Saturday, two days after it was ravaged by a tornado.

On Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service, an EF-1 tornado tore through Atlantic Beach in three minutes, leaving a path of damage about one-third of a mile long.

Club operators say one-third of their 115 cabanas were either damaged or destroyed. Crews were seen taking away storm debris by truck Saturday. Other damage left behind included downed wires and a car with broken windows.

Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt.

Sun and Surf's sister club, Silver Point Beach Club, was spared during Thursday's destruction and reopened Saturday morning.

"We have the beach to ourselves, and it's a nice day and we're catching fish and, you know, all is good," Silver Point member Denis Iderman said.

Iderman said he was relieved after receiving an email Friday afternoon saying that the club sustained little to no damage.

"Quite surprising, quite shocking, wasn't expecting that," Iderman said. "I don't think anyone expected it."

"You're like, 'No, that can't happen here,' but it did," Silver Point member Elia Cortes said. "Mother Nature is always surprising us, right?"

Beach clubs have become an integral part of beach culture on Long Island's south shore, and these clubs are historic, too.

In its note to guests via email and social media, the beach clubs, both under the same ownership, noted there's no timeline as to when Sun and Surf will reopen, but that it's "working diligently toward reopening this season," which ends on Labor Day.  

"Hopefully, they're able to fix it and get it back together soon, before the season is over," Cortes said. "Because it would be nice to end the season on a positive note."

For now, New York Beach Club says it's offering its facilities for free to Sun and Surf members.