Volusia County Lifeguards Save 85 from Dangerous Rip Currents
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Over the weekend, lifeguards rescued more than 80 people from various beaches in Volusia County. According to news reports, dangerous rip currents were the primary cause of these incidents.
According to WESH-TV, officials confirmed that 85 people were rescued. The breakdown of these rescues includes 62 on Friday, 14 on Saturday, and nine on Sunday. The heightened rescue activity was due to hazardous rip current conditions.
“We went into Friday with very hazardous rip current conditions. The weather was pretty decent, and we had big crowds on the beach this weekend,” Interim Volusia County Beach Safety Director Tammy Malphurs said in a statement to WESH.
Malphurs highlighted that Volusia County Beach Safety has conducted around 700 rescues since March. She explained that many of these rescues result from individuals losing their footing in the water and being swept out by the current.
“So, make sure you don’t panic, and that rip current is not going to pull you underwater — it’s just going to pull you into deeper water,” Malphurs advised in her statement.
When asked about the lifeguard operations, Malphurs mentioned that the county’s staff is working harder than ever, despite a nationwide shortage of lifeguards.
“We do some type of physical training every day to make sure they are in shape and ready for weekends like this,” she told the outlet.
In a post on Facebook, the official Volusia County Beaches page offered advice for those who might find themselves caught in a rip current: “Swim parallel to shore out of the current – then return to shore. If unable to return to shore, call or wave for help.”
Officials also recommend that beachgoers use the Volusia Beaches app to locate staffed lifeguard towers and find diagrams explaining rip currents.
The information provided in this article is according to the source article from WESH-TV.
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