PSA urges beachgoers to heed rip current warnings during Rip Current Awareness Week

Ian, a staff member, urged beach visitors during Rip Current Awareness Week to increase awareness of rip currents, saying rip currents kill more than 100 people in the United States each year and are the leading weather-related killer on the Northern Gulf Coast.

Ian said that from 2022 to 2024 there were 224 rip current fatalities along the Alabama and Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast, and he urged the public to reduce that number by following safety guidance.

He outlined five safety tips: check the water forecast and beach flags before entering the water; always swim near a lifeguard and ensure you know how to swim; learn to spot rip currents (they can appear on calm, sunny days and often occur near channel cuts through sandbars or by inlets, jetties and piers); if caught in a rip current, stay calm and do not swim against it but instead move parallel to shore and then angle back toward the beach; and if you see someone in trouble, alert lifeguards, call 911 if necessary, or pass a flotation device rather than entering the water yourself.

Ian noted a new beach-flag notification system that sends daily updates: to sign up, text pbflags to 888777.

On rescue precautions he warned that people attempting untrained rescues often become victims themselves and said, “The key is to stay calm. Don't swim against the current, but instead swim in a direction following the shoreline, then at an angle toward the beach.” He added that rescuers should look for flotation devices and call for professional help.

The brief announcement concluded with the presenter thanking listeners for “spending A Minute with Ian.”