Global Courant
Between June 20 and 23, 2023, three people drowned during rip currents off the coast of Alabama. A Georgia firefighter was killed trying to save his child from a rip current. There have been six deaths from drowning caused by deadly currents in Panama City Beach, Florida, since mid-June.
A Georgia firefighter and two fathers who drowned while trying to save their children are among at least 10 recent victims of dangerous rip currents along the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico stretching from Florida’s Panhandle to Mobile, Alabama.
Many of the deaths occurred on days with double red flags – which are posted at beach entrances and at lifeguard posts to warn beachgoers of potential wave currents. Since mid-June, six people have been killed around Panama City Beach, Florida.
Nearby, in Destin, Florida, ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett, 35, drowned Tuesday, but local officials said no rip currents were observed — and yellow warning flags, not double red flags, flew on the beach that day.
Between June 20 and June 23, three people drowned off the coast of Alabama, according to the Gulf Shores Police Department.
The white-sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico are a draw for tourists, and as the busy July 4 holiday approaches, officials hope beachgoers will take extra precautions.
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“I am extremely frustrated with the situation we have with tragic and needless deaths in the Gulf,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford wrote in a Facebook post, accompanied by an aerial image showing deep trenches that allow currents to flow into the shoreline along the coast. cracks. Panama City Beach. “I’ve seen deputies, firefighters and lifeguards risk their lives to save strangers. I’ve seen strangers die trying to save their children and loved ones, including two fathers on Father’s Day.”
Ford says his deputies have been berated for trying to warn visitors about the “life-threatening dangers” in the Gulf of Mexico.
He said deputies handed out $500 fines if they saw people in the water during double red flag days.
“We don’t have the resources or the time to quote every person who gets into the water, but we’re doing our very best to use it as a deterrent to getting into the water,” Ford said, explaining that an arrest would not be made until after a second time is allowed. criminal offense unless the person resists law enforcement.
The sheriff notes that local officials can only do so much, so he’s asking tourists and residents to pay close attention to flag status on the beach.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Ryan Mallett watches from the sidelines during the first half of a game in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 25, 2016. Mallett, who played five seasons in the NFL, has died from apparent drowning. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
“Personal responsibility is the only way to make sure no one else dies,” he wrote.
That message is echoed by Greg Dusek, a senior scientist in the ocean services unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He said people can’t always see the deep gullies on the shoreline caused by rip currents, or even see how dangerous the conditions are due to the weather.
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“Waves can form when there’s a storm where you are, but they can also occur with storms far away,” Dusek said. “It could be a really nice day at the beach, beautiful, not even a lot of wind. But you might have swells from storms coming hundreds of miles away, and those waves are big enough to ride in rip currents.”
Those are the days when officials often see more water rescues and drownings.
“That’s why I think one of the big messages has to be understand the flag system for the beach you’re going to and follow those guidelines,” he said.
A rip current is a powerful, narrow channel of water that flows away from the beach and often extends through the breaker zone where waves form. They can emerge on sunny days and can quickly propel even the strongest swimmer out to sea.
“A rip current is basically water that likes to go downhill. When breaking waves hit the shore, they’re pushed up onto the beach,” said Daniel Noah, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Ruskin, Florida. “It’s trying to figure out the easiest way to get back in the water. And it finds these rip current channels and it can quickly go back to the Gulf or the ocean.”
“The movement of water has a lot of power,” he added. “It’s dangerous for children, it’s dangerous for adults, it’s dangerous for vehicles.”
While the popular Shark Week documentaries and the movie “Jaws” have etched the fear of sharks into many beachgoers, drownings caused by rip currents claim many more lives. For example, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark File, by 2022 there were 108 documented shark bites of all species on humans worldwide. Of those, Florida was responsible for 16 bites, all nonfatal, of the 41 in the US. There was one fatality in Hawaii.
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Meanwhile, NOAA stats through June 24, 2023 show 55 deaths from power surges in the US. The seven deaths in Panama City Beach occurred between June 15 and June 24.
“Even when there are red flags flying, people look at the water and say, ‘Oh, I’ve been in big waves like that before. It doesn’t look that dangerous,'” Dusek said.
“A lot of times people don’t think about it and they’re blindsided by the risk,” he said. “I think that’s the natural human mindset. You go to the beach, you just want to have a good time with your family. You don’t necessarily think about what could go wrong.”
Deadly rip currents have claimed at least 10 lives along the Gulf of Mexico since early June
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