Thursday, October 1, 2026
A tornado, initially observed as a towering waterspout in the Atlantic Ocean, came ashore at the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach on Aug. 20, tearing through the longtime beach club and damaging dozens of cabanas as a powerful storm swept through the area.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman confirmed the tornado at an Aug. 21 news conference at the club, saying that it caused extensive damage but, luckily, no serious injuries.
The National Weather Service determined that the twister was an EF-1 tornado, with estimated peak winds of 97 mph. It struck just before 7 p.m., remained on the ground for just over a third of a mile, and had a path roughly 100 yards wide.
A strong thunderstorm moved through Atlantic Beach beginning around 6:30 p.m. Videos posted online showed a funnel spinning over the ocean before it moved onshore, knocking down several large wooden beams at Sun and Surf, and damaging about 50 cabanas. One person suffered a minor injury, but did not require hospitalization, according to Blakeman.
“This kind of storm is not something you plan for,” Blakeman said. “Tornadoes form in an instant. It started over the ocean and made its way to land here in Atlantic Beach.”
The Inwood Fire Department was the first emergency agency on the scene. 2nd Deputy Chief Chris Klein said the department received an alarm at about 6:51 p.m. from the kitchen and dining area at Sun and Surf. When firefighters arrived on the scene, after the tornado had dissipated, they began searching the property, going cabana to cabana to make sure no one was trapped.
Chief Josiyah Green said that technical rescue teams conducted primary searches of the area before a secondary search was undertaken to ensure that everyone had been accounted for.
“Upon arrival, once they had a confirmation of a collapse, they transmitted [a] major emergency,” Green said. “So I brought in a number of large resources, fire department resources throughout the county.”
The emergency response continued into the following day as club officials and debris-removal contractors began assessing the damage and clearing the property.
Green said that seeing the destruction in daylight gave crews a different perspective from the initial response, which occurred quickly and as darkness fell. “Last night, everything was dark, and it all happened so fast,” he said. “But today, to just see it and take it all in, it’s incredible.”
The storm was an extraordinary event for Atlantic Beach, where residents and beachgoers are accustomed to summer thunderstorms, but not tornadoes. Green said that the experience should serve as a reminder to take severe weather warnings seriously.
“We’ve all gotten those weather alerts down here, and you kind of ignore them,” he said. “I would say now, let’s start taking those weather alerts a tad bit serious, because it’s not always just nonsense alerts.”
For Sun and Surf members, the damage has meant an abrupt end to their normal summer routine.
William Baumert, the club’s president, has worked there since 1969. He described the club as a second home, and said that seeing it damaged was heartbreaking, particularly for generations of families who spend their summers there.
“It’s depressing to see something that I love destroyed like this,” Baumert said. “I feel so much worse for the poor people that are involved. Their kids, and their kids, and their kids look forward to coming here.”
For Baumert, the club represents much more than buildings and cabanas. “It’s a way of life for the members here,” he said. “They just love it, and I can understand why.”
Nonetheless, he said, the most important thing was that no one was seriously hurt. “We’re lucky,” he said. “No one got hurt. That’s all you can ask for.”
The club announced that it would remain closed while cleanup and repairs continue. As the Herald went to press on Tuesday, there was no timeline for reopening, although management said it remained hopeful that the club could reopen this season.
“Safety must come first,” an emailed notice to members stated, adding that members should not attempt to access the property or interfere with cleanup and repair work.
The club’s neighboring Silver Point Beach Club sustained little to no damage, and reopened last Saturday. Sun and Surf members were not permitted to enter through Silver Point’s main gate, and Silver Point members and guests were prohibited from entering the Sun and Surf property or beach areas.
As crews worked to clear debris and assess the structural damage, Baumert said the club would do everything it could to welcome members back.
“We want to make the membership whole,” he said. “Whatever happens here, there are customers, and we’re going to respond accordingly.”
