Entrez query (optional) Help. Benjamin says that the high water levels are shrinking Lake Michigan beaches. All these hazards are leading right into Memorial weekend, Benjamin said. Lifeguard hours were cut from 9 a.m to 8:30 p.m. to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in 2009 in an effort to save about $700,000 a year. He thought about his wife, Elise, his children, his granddaughter, and even his unborn grandchildren he hopes to enjoy someday. The configuration of Lake Michigan as well as its residential population density and tourism population density creates a higher probability for accidents; i.e. If a lifeguard has a bad day, someone might lose their life.. 12/05/2018 Sun Prairie Star Before I researched drowning, diving and spinal cord injuries for the book, I was very nave about potential dangers relating to these water sports, she said. And the years not over. With summers arrival on Thursday, June 21, comes plenty of fun on the water, spurring officials, advocacy groups and loved ones of drowning victims to remind those recreating on a boat or kayak to always wear a life jacket. Its just bullet-pointed information that is not being delivered, he said. One of the biggest concerns with Lake Superior is the water temperature; it fluctuates very little in the summer time. When a drowning happens, people often blame the victim or the parents or Darwinism. I cant get enough qualified lifeguards to apply, said Richards. These numbers go up almost daily, this time of year, said David Benjamin, co-founder and executive director. But with high water levels and erosion leading to smaller beach fronts, many are packing in, leading to increased concern over water safety. And when we listened to these I didnt know factors from these families and friends of drowning victims, we realized that these factors were not complex ideas. Thats why the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Joseph, Michigan is stressing water safety as the seasons begin to change. So, thats what motivated me to take the position that this year were not going to have lifeguards., 05/11/2020 HF Chronicle After nearly drowning, Homewood man works for prevention. Officials said 16 people drowned in Lake Michigan in 2021 and six people drowned in each of Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. From shore, Freeman had been keeping a close eye on her kids in the water when she noticed they drifted down a bit. In the spring of 2012, the GLSRP endorsed Flip, Float, and Follow and have been advocating it to the media and public ever since. The Michigan City Fire Department is always concerned about the safety of our personnel and the safety of the public, stated Fire Chief Randy Novak. Upon completion of the conference, attendees will leave with new strategies, insights, and know-how to save lives in their communities andthe best ways to respond in the event ofa tragedy. He says people dont realize that the lakes have dangerous waves and undercurrents, too. Many piers, docks and portions of breakwaters may not be visible above the water surface due to high water and waves. Some floats are equipped with live cameras and signals that allow 911 dispatchers to recognize that the device has been activated at a specific location. To date this year, there have been 20 drownings on the Great Lakes, according to data from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a water safety advocacy group that tracks drownings. June 13, 2020 -Bike The Shore Fundraiser (Click here for details), accidental near-drowning with medical complications, US-2 and the Dunes just west of Pointe Aux Chenes Road, https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/14/body-of-missing-man-found.html, blue and there was water coming up out of his mouth, witnesses had seen Timmerman surface and call for help. The only year with more than 100 deaths on all Great Lakes was in 2012, with 101 drowning deaths. at 8:15 p.m., one operator was thrown into the water. Dr. Houser and Vlodarchyk found the number of drownings were lower than the historical average early in the pandemic, but the number began to increase as stay-at-home orders were lifted. When I had given up my exhausted struggle to stay at the surface in the pounding waves, I luckily had enough float in my surfing wetsuit to stay at the surface and breathe I could float, breathe, overcome the panic and eventually float back to shore. In a pool you have 100 percent visibility, warm water, consistent water depths and [the pool is a contained area]. Benjamin cautioned that most drownings dont look like what happens in a movie people dont wave their arms and thrash around. What were not happy to share is the danger that comes with swimming in the Great Lakes. With the new attraction set to open this weekend, Bob Pratt and Dave Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project spent the day teaching summer campers and kids about proper water safety. June 10, 2023). 06/10/2020 WXYZ Detroit Officials emphasize safety after 2 drown in Lake Michigan, 06/09/2020 Huron Daily Tribune Officials emphasize safety after 2 drown in Lake Michigan, 06/09/2020 Holland Sentinel COVID furloughs meant no warning flags on Holland beach as two boys drowned. Drownings are 100% preventable, and we are committed to preventing all drownings in the City of Michigan City and adjacent communities. Contact. After searching more than 2,500 miles of the bottom of Lake Superior, the Atlanta a 172-foot schooner-barge that sank during a terrible storm has been found, preserved in the icy water just as it was when it went down more than 130 years ago. Theres a huge disconnect. Being in the water, practicing swimming and floating, helps, but learning the technique could be drilled into students in an auditorium. However, the colliding vessel was instrumental in saving many of the surviving members from the wrecked Cowle ship. Mo Hakim, one of the head lifeguards at Washington Park, realized the dangers of Lake Michigan firsthand last summer when he rescued a victim who dived off of the pier, even though this is forbidden. We verified what is true using information from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit that tracks drowning statistics and trains people in water safety, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The group recognizes funding will be a challenge but it also looked to see which businesses and nonprofits, as well as elected officials, step up to help bring water safety to the fore. There are ways to keep you and your family safe. Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk is just one example of the devastating impact higher water levels have had on shorelines across the area. 05/07/2017 PR Lake Michigan Water Safety Presentation for Valparaiso Swim Club and the general public as Great Lakes drownings continue to rise in 2017, 05/07/2017 PR National Lifesaver Award Winners Continue Efforts with Chicagoland Water Safety School Presentations this week As Great Lakes drownings continue to rise in 2017. Theres this thing called the stigma of drowning, Benjamin said. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project one hundred and two people have died so far in 2018. Executive director of education, Bob Pratt says its like the stop, drop and roll of water safety. He talks about a recent rescue effort that he personally joined in, at Washington Park beach in Michigan City, and offers tips to swimmers when they step into Lake Michigan. 08/19/2020 Detroit Free Press 60 people have drowned in Great Lakes this year: How to stay safe For years, the GLSRP has argued the flag system doesnt work. The mayor said Thursday that it worked out for city finances that only one lifeguard application has been submitted this year, as the city typically spends $130,000 per summer on lifeguard wages. 1868. Search Wisconsin Obituaries. And it wont stop them as summer emerges. Southernly winds will be blowing today. 07/27/2019 The Sandusky Register How can Nickel Plate be safer? And most drownings happen during this most dangerous time of the year, when frigid water incapacitates people who accidentally fall in. When youre floating and in control of your natural urge to panic, you can then wave your arm or shout for help, Benjamin said. But we didnt know exactly how tight we were going to be. People drown every year during red flag conditions and every year, the system proves to be a failure. 04/04/2018 Northwest Indiana Times Water safety group to debut public safety announcement via Facebook Live The public service announcement has a focus on the Great Lakes, but is applicable to all bodies of water. . But when you add in wind, waves, dangerous currents and cold water temperatures, that percentage would likely be higher. The man was also wearing jeans and black hiking-style running shoes/boots. Both boys also died. . Dave Benjamin, executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, said at least 16 people have drowned in Lake Michigan so far this year, more than all the other Great Lakes combined. If theres a red flag out there dont go in the water, said Adam Bueling, assistant manager of beaches and pools for the Chicago Park District. 09/13/2018 Kenosha News Mayor: Safest option is to fence off the north pier Dave Benjamin, of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, put it similarly. 07/29/2019 WBBM News Radio 780 Drownings In Lake Michigan Up 80 Percent Over Last Year: Report, 07/29/2019 9 & 10 News Swimmers at Risk on Lake Michigan: Winds Cause High Waves, Currents, 07/29/2019 Chicago Tribune Lake Michigan Drownings up 80% over this time last year, 07/29/2019 Chicago Sun-Times Drownings in Lake Michigan up 80% over last year: report, Drownings in Lake Michigan account for over half of the total drownings in all five great lakes, 07/29/2019 NBC 24 Drowning victim identified, officials urge water safety, 07/29/2019 Detroit News Warning issued for dangerous swimming conditions on Lake Michigan beaches, 07/29/2019 CBS 3 WWMT South Haven beachgoers swim despite red flag warning of dangerous conditions, 07/28/2019 UpNorthLive GLSRP: Lake Michigan drownings up 80 percent over last year, 07/28/2019 Detroit News Lake Michigan drownings up 80% since last year 51 Great Lakes drownings in 2019; 27 in Lake Michigan, 07/28/2019 Huron Daily Tribune Warnings posted for Monday on Michigan side of Lake Michigan, 07/28/2019 Detroit Free Press Dangerous conditions expected at Lake Michigan beaches Monday. Through July 31, 2019, there were 52 Great Lakes drownings, with 27 of those occurring in Lake Michigan, making 2019 a 80% increase through the start of August. A water safety school curriculum needs to be mandated and funded in the Great Lakes region as well as nationwide. The eastern shore is particularly hazardous due to the prevailing wind direction leading to favorable current development. Water safety is really important, since 2010 theres been 559 fatal drownings on the five Great Lakes, typically almost half, 47%, happened on Lake Michigan and about half of those happen here at the south end of Lake Michigan so this is one of the most dangerous waters in the country, said Director of Education for Great Lakes surf rescue project, Bob Pratt. If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore. It was a simple solution that became very complex. Information is not being delivered effectively or efficiently to the public.. The GIS map below can also be found here. A good Samaritan jumped in the water and saved the children and had a life ring thrown out to them before the Coast Guard arrived on scene. The boy washed up on shore after a short time. Nearly all of the 30,000 people the organization surveyed knew the answers to those simple questions, and 90 percent of them knew how to swim. A flag has never gone into the water. Here are ways to stay safe. Water is one of the leading causes of accidental death. 07/26/2019 Fox 17 Lake Michigan drownings up 58% over last year As officials continue to search for a missing father who drowned at Ludington State Park, a group is urging safety on the water this weekend. It was during one of those breaks that Gerard, owner of the Third Coast Surf Shop, noticed commotion near the pier. Kyra, the nine-year-old, panickedand jumped out of the kayak, causing it to flip over. 07/22/2022 RIPLEY, NY FISHING NO LIFE JACKET Fred Forsythe Jr, M-70 The body of a charter boat captain who fell into the waters of Lake Erie earlier this month have been recovered. Flip-float-follow is the stop-drop-and-roll of water safety, said Benjamin, with the emphasis on float. And with all that water - comes good fishing. During offshore winds, the water at the shoreline can be deceptively calm, but the farther one gets from shore, the winds become stronger and the water can become choppy. 06/05/2017 Fox News Chicago Whiting Open Water Surf Lifeguard In-service Training. 08/27/2018 The Star Beacon ASHTABULA A memorial fundraising dinner has been scheduled to help the family of 16-year-old drowning victim Micah Nugent with funeral expenses. After death, a person's gut and the . 10/08/2022 TOWN OF EVANS, N.Y. Lake Erie Beach Park Point Breeze area John Doe, M-48 According to police, a man was pulled from the water and citizens at the scene initiated resuscitation efforts. We believe that every drowning is preventable and weve got to start asking ourselves as a society, Why are we not preventing them? prompted Dave Benjamin, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Great Lakes Surf Project. Luckily I survived. 07/12/2022 KENOSHA, WI PENNOYER PARK OUTLET CURRENT Samuel Euceda Ucles, M-5 shortly after 6 p.m. directly behind the Pennoyer Park band shell outdoor concert A boy was reported missing. 08/11/2017 My Sheboygan Sheboygan resident and surfer Larry Williams talks about water safety. And, we have a lot of people that come to this beach every summer, which means this beach is going to be even more crowded, and in a smaller space, Benjamin said. This summer we could see the perfect storm for drownings in the Great Lakes region. We need lifeguards at Washington Park.. Three of our lifeguards responded and were able to get to him and put him on a backboard to safely transport him to EMS once they arrived.. Benjamin said part of the training process is explaining the signs of a potential drowning victim and how to identify a potential victim. They can be as dangerous as they are beautiful. While there may be a little bit of splashing, lifeguards call it climbing the ladder, it will be this vertical motion of just trying to keep their head above the surface of the water, and especially with children it may only last a matter of second, says Pratt. We take the research, statistics and data and break it down, so beachgoers know its one of the leading causes of accidental deaths, which most people dont know, Benjamin said. He was swimming with his mom and another sibling when he submerged. Its not common sense that panic is the first stage of drowning. 11/18/2020 US Army Corps of Engineers High water levels and wave events increase safety hazards The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges caution around Great Lake piers, breakwaters and jetties, particularly during times of high wind and wave events. In Lake Michigan so far this year, 33 people have drowned. Is Lake Michigan the deadliest Great Lake or just the most frequented? Hooffstetter was a Deans List student majoring in criminology and psychology. If you cant survive the initial drowning experience, youre not going to make it out. If in a water emergency, swimmers should flip over onto their back, float to keep their head above water, calm themselves down and conserve energy, and then follow the current to assess which way its flowing. Benjamin said 80% of all drowning victims are male. It gives the public a false sense of security that drowning wouldnt happen to them, that it only happens to stupid people. 06/18/2018 WNDU Lifeguards get summer training for beach season, 06/17/2018 WSBT 22 Lake Michigan beaches work to reduce drownings, 06/15/2018 WNDU Officials prepare for busy Fathers Day weekend at Lake Michigan beaches, 06/09/2018 Video GLSRP Open Water Surf Lifeguarding In-service, 06/08/2018 NBC 5 Authorities Warn of Dangers to Lake Michigan Swimmers. That explains why people take risks, such as swimming alone or beyond their physical capability, and why so often would-be rescuers become drowning victims, he said. Many accidents and incidents near harbor structures occur during the turbulent weather season late in the year and higher than normal water levels pose an added threat, the release notes. Besides the usual cold waters this time of year (though Lake Superior can be warmer than the air temps in winter), the Corps pointed to three areas of concern: Submerged Structures. Help. The first two drownings of the season occurred on Lake Erie five days and about 5 miles apart in May. If you dont know how to swim or do this, its absolutely not the time. Perhaps its time the state also puts money into lifeguards that keep those families safe once they make their way to Michigan beaches. Diehl and a 7-year-old Texas boy died after going under water along the north beach in South Haven. I cannot stress enough that drowning really is a public health issue that needs to be treated like a public health issue. The panic. 8. Youve been reported overdue/missing.. 02/17/2018 MDJ Online Teaching others to swim safely Benjamins life changed forever Dec. 26, 2010, when he had a nonfatal drowning accident. Think safety, be safe Each drowning occurs because of its own set of circumstances, but experts say many of the tragedies are preventable. Everyone is still missing., He replied,You need to be strong for them. Indiana conservation officials credited Myles Wright and Devin Newton with saving two young girls from drowning, the News Dispatch reported. 07/30/2019 CBS 2 Chicago Threat Of Dangerous Waves, Currents Prompts Warning About Beach Hazards, 07/30/2019 Holland Sentinel Police: Being a hero isnt always the safest bet during water rescues. 04/29/2018 WSBT Conference discusses ways to prevent drowning. Police are asking anyone with information about the investigation to come forward. In November of that same year, she went to the Port Sheldon Township Board and pleaded for warning signs and other safety equipment. Pier Washoff Henry J. Stout, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Przykutas body was recovered the next morning by the U.S. Coast Guard. What alarmed him most after reading the report was the type of watercraft used by the family. The training focused on the dangerous currents in the Great Lakes, rescue techniques, and CPR. Since 2010, the organization has tracked 843 Great Lakes drownings, with 97 in 2019 and a record 117 in 2018. Lake Michigan is only the third largest Great Lake but it is surrounded by densely populated cities, like Chicago. But it is unclear if a lifeguard would have made a difference in Sareyis drowning. According to the Great Lakes Surf and Rescue Project, 2017 has been the deadliest year for the start to drowning season.

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