Sunday?s surf is likely to pose some challenges for beachgoers and rescue workers started out the day warning folks about dangerous conditions.
By 9 a.m., the Destin Fire Department had already pulled four men out of the surf, including one that was transported for evaluation to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, according to acting Battalion Chief Bronson Coleman.
?This happened before beach patrol got on duty,? Coleman said of the first four rescues. ?Our guys are down there (now) warning everybody to get out of the water.?
Coleman said red flags would be flying and there were rip currents. Waves would be about two to three feet in Destin, he guessed.
The South Walton Fire District pulled more than 50 people out of the surf on Saturday. None were seriously injured.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/14708
One missing off Panama City Beach
Nearly 50 pulled from Bay County waters; Okaloosa incidents less severe
PANAMA CITY BEACH ? One person was missing and at least 45 others had to be rescued from the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday in another dangerous weekend for swimmers here.
In Okaloosa County, firefighters and medical personnel reported several calls for distressed swimmers, but no one drowned and there were no serious injuries.
Bay County Sheriff?s Office Sgt. Tony Walker and deputies combed the beach with bullhorns Saturday afternoon to urge people to get out of the water. When they didn?t, the deputies, Panama City Beach officers, emergency medical technicians, firefighters and others dove in after the distressed swimmers. Rescuers pulled them out six at a time in some instances.
The missing swimmer had been in the water near the Carousel at the west end of Panama City Beach. The person was still missing at 8:30 p.m. when rescuers called off the search for the night.
Two people have drowned so far this month off Panama City Beach.
In Destin, firefighters responded to at least five distress calls Saturday. Many of the calls seemed to be precautionary, one firefighter said.
Yellow flags flew over Destin beaches early Saturday, but were replaced by red flags later. Red flags also flew over the beach on Okaloosa Island during the afternoon.
An Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services worker also said there were several calls, but no one suffered severe injuries.
The day in Panama City Beach began with yellow flags. They were changed to red at 2 p.m. and then to double red at about 4 p.m. A red flag means there is strong surf and currents, while double red flags mean the water is closed to the public. Officials tried to change the flags to double red earlier in the day but kept having to leave to rescue troubled swimmers, Walker said.
Strong rip currents that sucked swimmers out to sea were blamed for the trouble.
?You cannot see it from the top,? Walker said. ?From the top side, the wave action makes it look very small.?
But the currents were strong enough to pull people in who were wading in waist-deep water, he added. It was unclear how many of the swimmers were seriously injured.
Emergency medical workers were ?transporting them left and right to the hospital,? Walker said. ?We do not know their conditions at this point.?
Mike Hudson, a lifeguard and local representative of the United States Lifesaving Association, said the day?s tragedies highlighted the need for lifeguards on Panama City Beach. Swimmers may not know what the flags mean and do not have anyone to ask, Hudson said.
?There isn?t anybody readily available to tell people, where is it safe to swim or is it safe to swim,? Hudson said.
Lifeguards would have worked to keep people out of the water and been closer to the scene if someone got in trouble, Hudson said. Prevention rather than reaction is needed, he added.
?That?s all we have in this county, really, is a reactive service,? Hudson said.
Panama City Beach police Maj. David Humphreys agreed that more qualified people on the beach would be a help. However, he estimated the cost at millions of dollars each year, money that local governments don?t have.
?We certainly don?t have it,? he said.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/14698
There was no excuse to be in the water at Grayton. Let your kids play in the lake for goodness sake!
