I must say, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a National Rip Current Awareness Week, but you learn something new every day here in Florida!
In all seriousness, rip currents aren’t anything to be joking about — it’s very scary to be caught in one, and it can kill you, if you don’t know how to handle it.
Since I think it’s worth repeating, here’s the full text of the public service advisory:
The week of June 1-7 is designated as National rip current awareness week. Over the past two decades, rip currents, which are narrow channels of water in the surf zone of the ocean, have caused more deaths in South Florida than hurricanes, lightning and tornadoes combined. In the United States, over 100 people are estimated to die
from these killer currents each year. In addition, lifeguards Rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the United States annually.
In Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Collier counties, an average of 3 to 7 people die from rip currents each year. In 2007, a total of seven people drowned at Southeast Florida beaches. So far in 2008, one drowning and several near drownings have occurred.
Tourists are often victims, but local residents are also at risk. In addition, other people suffer near drownings and are left with life-long debilitating effects. These deaths and injuries are preventable with knowledge of how a rip current works. Rip currents can be referred to as the fair weather killer because they can occur when the weather appears to be generally nice.
A rip current is a strong channel of water that extends from near the beach through the breaking waves to about 50 to 100 yards offshore. The seaward pull of the rip current makes people feel that they have to struggle directly toward the beach to reach safety.
The speed of the rip current can be 5 mph or about 8 feet per second, faster than an olympic swimmer. This can easily overpower even the strongest swimmer. Instead of trying to fight the current by swimming directly against it, the best means of escape is to swim across the narrow portion of the rip current, usually only a matter of a few yards, before swimming toward the beach at an angle away from the outgoing current.
The best advice to avoid becoming a rip current victim is to swim at beaches with lifeguards. The United States lifesaving association has calculated the chance that a person will drown while attending a beach protected by an affiliated lifeguards at 1 in 18 million.
During the past several years, very few drownings have occurred at beaches with lifeguards, and lifeguards routinely perform hundreds of rescues yearly at South Florida beaches alone. Ocean Rescue personnel can spot rip currents and warn you before you get into them. Color flags are posted from lifeguard stands which indicate the risk of rip currents. Always heed the advice of the beach patrol and ocean Rescue.
Even before you go to the beach, you can learn about the risk of rip currents each day by listening to NOAA Weather Radio and local media outlets. In addition, the National Weather Service in Miami issues daily surf zone forecasts, hazardous weather outlooks and special weather statements which alert the public of expected hazardous weather, including rip currents. This information can be obtained via NOAA Weather Radio or by visiting the National weather in Miami website at www.Weather.Gov/Miami and clicking on the current hazards for South Florida link.
Persons are urged to learn about rip currents and the danger they pose by visiting the National Weather Service rip current web site at www.Ripcurrents.NOAA.Gov.
Remember, break the grip of the rip!
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