A house is left in ruins in Belle Harbor. N.Y., after Superstorm Sandy. Dylan Smith, 23, was a NYC lifeguard who was praised for using his surfboard to help his neighbors during the storm.(Photo: Kathy Willens, AP)
NEW YORK -- The Belle Harbor section of the Rockaways in New York
where so many heroes emerged during Superstorm Sandy has lost one of
them to a tragic surfing death in Puerto Rico.
Friends of
23-year-old Dylan Smith and his family expressed sorrow Monday that
someone who saved so many lives during the October storm could lose his
own on vacation. A local funeral parlor said funeral arrangements were
being made.
The New York City lifeguard was widely praised after
the storm for using his surfboard to move several Queens neighbors
endangered by high water and a fire to safety.
Smith's body was
found floating Sunday morning near his surfboard in waters off Maria's
Beach in the western Puerto Rican community of Rincon. The town's
beaches attract surfers from across the world.
Associated Press