Hurricane Bill: Rip Currents Kill

by Karoli on August 23, 2009 · 5 comments

Why am I writing about Hurricane Bill in the middle of my steady drumbeat about health care reform and other Congressional escapades?

Because rip currents kill. One killed my friend Larry LaMotte, along with several others. He wasn’t a surfer or a risk-taker, just a dad protecting his son. If even one person reads this and decides to stay out of the water, it’s worth it.

NY Times:

Dozens of people showed up at South Beach on Martha’s Vineyard with their cameras and camcorders to watch the big waves and churning Atlantic.

Several people even decided to wade into the water, despite the warnings of lifeguards about the dangerous rip currents.

”It’s just crazy out there,” said James Costantini, 19, a lifeguard in Edgertown. ”For Martha’s Vineyard, for what we’re used to, it’s a 10 out of 10 in terms of danger. People should not be going in the water, should not be even close.”

Tagged as: beach safety, drowning, hurricane bill, News, rip current

http://technosailor.com/ Aaron Brazell

Rip currents are the silent killer with these storms. Everyone sees waves. It's the waves out of sight under the water that actually do kill.
http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/ Karoli

Exactly, and one doesn't have to be neck-deep to be caught in one. That was the danger Larry didn't see…one minute his son was in up to his knees, the next up to his neck, being carried outward. While some knowledge of how rips work is helpful, in a storm like Bill, it's best not even to put a toe in.
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