: 1217530123

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn and Queens) plans to provide $30 million in federal funding over 10 years for additional lifeguards at Jacob Riis Park on Tuesday, after seven lives were claimed in the waters off New York City and Long Island over the weekend.

The announcement came as the body of 22-year-old Devon Flanders was recovered near Riis Park after he was swept away by a riptide while swimming at the beach on Friday.

The Coast Guard called off the search for another swimmer, 10-year-old Jamaica resident Akira Johnson, on Sunday, after she was also swept out to sea off Coney Island. Her body was discovered yesterday morning by a Brooklyn fisherman in Brighton Beach.

The new federal funding would bring an additional 15 lifeguards to the beaches along the Rockaway park, Weiner said, adding that New York City’s beaches remain about 10 percent understaffed. Weiner called on the City to match the federal funds and fully staff all of the City’s beaches.

“In the most urban part of our country, beaches and access to the ocean provide entertainment and escape from the stress of the Big City. I hope the city will match these federal resources and give more hardworking New Yorkers the opportunity to relax at the beach,” Weiner said.

City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Astoria) echoed Weiner’s calls and urged beach goers to take extra precautions while swimming in the Atlantic waters.

Vallone, a former beach lifeguard of seven years, said rip tides are rare and actually not the cause of most drownings. The real danger, he said, are strong undertows that capture people who don’t swim regularly and underestimate the power of the ocean.

“Fewer lifeguards and strong currents are a deadly combination and people need to take precautions,” Vallone said. “Stay in front of lifeguards, and do not go into deeper water unless you are an experienced swimmer.”