Yesterday Tropical Storm Arthur hammered the eastern shore of NC. The News & Observer reports that on Saturday Jeffrey Del Monte was driving an off-road vehicle on the beach of the outer banks when he heard the “screams of children” and then spotted them struggling in the water.
A park official from Cape Hatteras National Seashore says the girls were being swept out in a rip current that was being created by Arthur 48 hours before making land on a gorgeous day. Del Monte swam out into the ocean to save them. He helped one girl back and passed her to his friend, who swam her back to shore while he went to rescue the other girl, who was “in distress” nearly 100 yards out from the beach.
“Jeffrey Del Monte’s heroic, selfless, and prompt actions were critical to saving these two girls from a very dangerous situation,” says National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac.