This 30-Foot Whale Has Beached Itself in Breezy Point

Because apparently Breezy Point hasn't had enough of its sad images this year, the Sandy-struck New York community discovered this poor guy Wednesday morning. The whale, believed to be a humpback, is still alive but needs lots of human help to get back to the sea. "Emergency-service responders from the police and fire departments were spraying water on the animal and awaiting the arrival of marine-mammal stranding experts from the Riverhead Foundation on Long Island," reports The New York Times's Daniella Silva. The whale was spotted on Beach 216th Street and Palmer Place shortly before 11 a.m., which is odd, since that location is right along the bay, and not even on the open side of Breezy Point (see map above). Breezy Point came to national prominence as one of the New York City neighborhoods hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy. We'll keep you updated on the status of the whale as more reports come in.