Long Beach Township Police Lt. Paul Vereb has announced that rescue and evacuation operations on Long Beach Island will likely cease by 4 or 5 p.m. today, Oct. 29, as the hurricane has picked up speed and conditions are sure to worsen to the point that first responders can no longer help anyone.

He confirmed ocean dune breaches have occurred in “numerous areas from Holgate to Loveladies,” though by his firsthand account he “couldn’t count how many streets.”

Though he could not speculate as to the extent of the damage so far to beachfront homes or structures elsewhere on the Island, he could only say with certainty that “the next high tide could bring major damage.”

At 2:45 p.m., police were working with a list of 75 residents awaiting evacuation assistance. Military and police transport was in place to usher the stranded off-Island, but it was impossible to say how much longer the transport would be operational.

“This is definitely the worst we’ve seen.”

By early afternoon, the winds had increased dramatically, he said. Given the sustained winds and gales reaching 90 mph or stronger, the hurricane may reach Category 2 status by the time it makes landfall, which looked as if it wouldhappen earlier than expected, he said. —V.L.