Police on Saturday night after the men ignored hurricane warnings and capsized their boats in rough waters. The kayakers, 34 and 37, were paddling off of Great Kills when a five-foot wave overturned their kayaks. Both men were wearing lifejackets and spent about 30 minutes floating in the water before a harbor boat found and retrieved them. The rescue efforts, which included some 25 emergency units, were complicated by thick fog and waves. In a news conference late Saturday night, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the pair’s decision to venture out in the storm “a reckless act that diverted badly-needed NYPD resources.” The pair were issued summonses after returning to the marina on Staten Island. While Manhattan weathered Hurricane Irene largely unscathed, severe flooding in Staten Island . Vermont and other states in the northeast today.
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