Coast Guard Rescues 13 Surfers

SURFSIDE BEACH, Texas – Thirteen surfers had to be pulled to safety Sunday after becoming fatigued in 15-foot seas created by Hurricane Katrina (search), the U.S. Coast Guard (search) said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Troy Davis said the rip tides were strong and most of the rescues were 400 to 500 yards off Quintana Beach (search), about 60 miles south of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico.

Sunday evening, nearby Surfside Beach closed the Surfside jetties that are used by many surfers as a launching point.

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Hurricane Katrina, a powerful Category 5 storm, was expected to make landfall Monday morning near New Orleans. A hurricane warning was in effect for the north-central Gulf Coast from Morgan City, La., to the Alabama-Florida line.