Rockaway Drownings Are A 'State Of Emergency', Pol Says

ROCKAWAY BEACH, QUEENS — After the deaths of four swimmers in the Rockaways in a month, City Council Member Donovan Richards is calling for lifeguards to stay on duty later.

Lifeguards at the city's public beaches are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer. Richards, who represents the Rockaways, told The New York Times that he wants to see lifeguards stick around until at least 8 p.m.

"This is a state of emergency," he told the Times.

The four people who have drowned in the waters surrounding the Rockaways in the last month were all swimming when a lifeguard wasn't on duty, which the city prohibits.

Of the 34 people who have drowned at public beaches in the last decade, only six drowned while a lifeguard was on duty, according to the Times.

"It’s hotter than normal, and a lot of our folks don’t have access to air conditioning," Richards told the Times. "The only pool I have right now is the ocean."

The four drowning victims are a Long Island couple that drowned on July 9, an 18-year-old boy who drowned on July 30 and a 15-year-old boy who drowned on Aug. 4.