Seven people died over nine days this month at Panama City Beach along Florida’s Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said.
“Rip currents” were the primary hazard listed alongside these death records, and this beach therefore recorded the highest concentration of deaths in the “surf zone” during June, reports CBS News.
A “rip current” is essentially a channel of moving water, somewhat like a river, that forms in the ocean and flows away from the coast and out to sea, the weather service explains, which is updating an interactive map and accompanying database with fatalities in surf zones across the U.S., including those associated with these currents. Fatal incidents were reported on Panama City Beach between June 15 and June 24. Officials last updated the national database the following day, June 25.
Officials have identified the people who died on that beach this month as: a 52-year-old man who died on June 15; a 47-year-old Alabama man who died on June 18; a 53-year-old South Carolina man who died on June 21; a 47-year-old man from Tennessee who died on June 22 on a stretch of beach near the Flamingo Hotel and Tower; a 68-year-old Michigan man who died on June 24; a 63-year-old man from Georgia who died on June 24; and a 39-year-old man also from Georgia who died on June 24.
Authorities in Bay County, which includes Panama City Beach, complained of a sharp increase in “tragic and unnecessary” fatal incidents and urged beachgoers to heed public safety warnings.
“I am extremely frustrated with the situation we have with the tragic and unnecessary deaths in the Gulf. I have watched as police officers, firefighters and lifeguards have risked their lives to save strangers. I have seen strangers die trying to save their children, including two fathers on Father’s Day.” , the Bay County Sheriff said Tommy Ford in a statement shared on Facebook on Sunday.
He noted that there are $500 fines for violators who dare to enter the water despite the double red flag warnings, which are used to notify people that the beach is closed to the public. Ford said the system is supposed to act as a deterrent, but Bay County authorities “don’t have the resources or the time to chase every person who enters the water.”
“The government and law enforcement can only do so much in these situations,” the sheriff said. “Personal responsibility is the only way to ensure that no one else gets killed. Please do your best to find out the status of the flag and stay out of the water completely.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office shared aerial photos of the beach in an announcement about the “aftermath of a deadly weekend,” in another post shared on Facebook Monday, showing deep rips caused by currents that had carved into the ocean floor along the coast.
“You say you’re a ‘good’ swimmer, an experienced swimmer, a competitive swimmer. But you’re no match for these currents,” the sheriff’s office posted along with “pictures of trenches dug in the sand underwater as a result of the powerful currents this past weekend.”
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I hope so,” the post said.
