One year after 2 Alabama teens attacked by shark on Gulf Coast, communities working to set up alerts
A year after two Mountain Brook teens were attacked by a shark off the Gulf Coast, Alabama coastal communities are hard at work setting up shark alerts.
On June 7, 2024, then 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin was one of three people bitten by a shark off the Florida panhandle. She was severely injured and ended up losing part of her left arm and leg.
In the last year, Lulu has courageously fought to overcome her injuries. She鈥檚 now advocating for others through her organization, Lulu Strong.
One of Lulu鈥檚 most notable accomplishments in the past year was pushing through the passage of 鈥淟ulu鈥檚 Law.鈥� The law, which was signed Gov. Kay Ivey last month, establishes shark alerts in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
Director of the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency Tom Tyler said discussions are already underway with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources about setting up the shark alerts.
"If there's an unprovoked attack, I think they're going to be critical," Tyler said.
Listen to Lulu share her inspiring journey months after the surviving shark attack below.
Tyler said details still need to be worked out, but the infrastructure is already in place. The shark alerts would go through FEMA鈥檚 I-PAWS; people close to Alabama beaches would receive notifications on their phone, similar to severe weather and AMBER Alerts.
鈥淓veryone who has wireless emergency alerts enabled on their phone, which is the default mode, and we want everybody to maintain that, obviously. But this is not a subscription service. There is no opt in,鈥� Tyler explained.
Watch Lulu surf for the first time after shark attack below.
Tyler said stakeholders will likely be meeting in the next month to begin working out specific details of the shark alerts. Lulu鈥檚 Law will officially go into effect Oct. 1, 2025, and the alerts are expected to be ready by next summer.
Once the shark alerts are enabled, Tyler said it will be another tool in the toolbox for emergency officials to keep people safe along Alabama鈥檚 coast.
The Baldwin County EMA鈥檚 BeachSafe initiative urges beachgoers to 鈥淜now Before You Go鈥� by educating people on the beach flags and best swimming practices. They also have a beach text alert program that people can sign up for to receive notifications on beach conditions and warning flag status.
Watch Lulu at the driving range below.
鈥淭he majority of the people that are in the Gulf on any given day are just from out of town, and whether it's with rip currents or with sharks or any other kind of hazard with swimming in the Gulf, you know, our number one goal is to send all those families back home with all their family members intact and planning for their next vacation,鈥� Tyler said.
You can sign up for the beach alerts with the Baldwin County EMA by texting ALBEACHES to 888-777.