A waterspout roared ashore as a tornado on Long Island's South Shore Thursday evening, tearing the roof off an oceanfront beach club and sending more than 100 members and guests scrambling for cover in a stretch of Nassau County that hadn't seen a confirmed twister in nearly five years.

The tornado touched down around 7:11 p.m. at the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, destroying or damaging roughly 30 cabanas as wind ripped the roof off the club's main structure. One worker suffered a minor injury and refused medical treatment; no one else was hurt, officials said.

"Everything started falling on us"

"I shut the door and not even two seconds later, the wind picked up, and the roof ripped off. Everything started falling on us."

That's how Matthew Stark, who was inside the club and captured video of the chaos, described the moment the storm hit, according to Fox 5 New York. Inwood Fire Chief Josiyah Green told reporters at the scene that "a strong gust of wind and tornado" had touched down at the beach club, leaving "extensive damage."

The National Weather Service later confirmed the waterspout made landfall as a tornado, marking Nassau County's first confirmed tornado since 2021, according to Bloomberg. County weather records show fewer than a dozen tornadoes have touched down there since 1950, making Thursday's storm a genuine rarity for the densely populated barrier-island community.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman declared a state of emergency and activated the county's Emergency Operations Center as crews searched the wreckage for anyone trapped. "Fortunately, there were no injuries. There might've been one minor injury, but no serious injuries reported," Blakeman said, according to ABC7 New York. Flooding tied to the same storm system also stranded motorists elsewhere along the South Shore, prompting additional water rescues by first responders.

The Atlantic Beach twister was one of at least two waterspouts that came ashore as tornadoes across the region Thursday evening, with a second touching down in Queens, according to News 12 Long Island. About 25 miles northeast in Jericho, lightning from the same storm system ignited a fire at the Milleridge Inn, a historic restaurant and wedding venue, adding to the night's damage toll.

The Sun and Surf Beach Club, which has operated on the Atlantic Beach oceanfront for decades, will remain closed indefinitely while crews clear debris and assess structural damage to its cabana rows. Nassau County officials said cleanup would continue through the weekend, and the National Weather Service is expected to release a full survey confirming the tornado's rating and path in the coming days.