Fourth Death From Drowning at NC Beaches In 10 Days
A fourth death from drowning has occurred this summer in just 10 days at the beaches of North Carolina. This includes three teenagers and one adult male. The first drowning was on Hatteras Island at a Frisco beach. A 17-year-old drowned on June 6, 2017. He was an exchange student from Thailand. His body was found the next morning not far from where is disappeared in the water.
The second drowning happened on June 10. He was a 17-year-old Goldsboro teen Elijah Hinnant. He and friends had gone to the beach for the day at Emerald Isle. His friend 16-year-old Tyreese Worsley also of Goldsboro, NC was pulled from the water and transferred to Vidant. Nine days later the 16-year-old died after being in critical condition since being pulled from the water on June 10th. He is the third to die from drowning at a NC beach.
The fourth death from drowning at a North Carolina beach was a 56-year-old man. The man died from a cardiac arrest and drowning while he tried to assist two female teenagers at Atlantic Beach, NC. All three were rescued near the Henderson Ave. public beach access area Saturday morning June 17, 2017. The two girls are OK.
All the drownings were associated with rip currents. Rip current risks are classified as low, moderate, and high. Rip currents are also called rip tides. Many visitors to the NC beaches are not used to beaches and are not aware of the dangers from rip currents. New educational programs are being started up at many NC beaches due to the elevated risks of rip currents and the alarming number of people being pulled from the waters in the past weeks. Emerald Isle and Atlantic beach are increasing the number of volunteers to patrol the beaches along with the beach lifeguards.
On Hatteras Island the Hatteras Rescue Squad is starting a new and free program that provides information to visitors. Each Monday morning at 9:00 am the program will include a training session on rip currents and beach safety. The free open to the public session will be held at the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad station located at 48103 NC-12 in Buxton, NC. See map below for location and directions. The program will cover rip current hazards, what they are, how they form, the difference between low, moderate, and high rip current risks, how to spot them on the beach, and how to get out of them safely.
Many NC beach communities and towns are using Facebook and Twitter to get out information about beach conditions and warnings. If you are planning a trip to a North Carolina beach please check social media for sites that can help keep you informed of beach hazards and conditions. The Hatteras Island Rescue Squad Facebook page has a lot of great information about rip currents and other dangers at the beach we should all know. The Town of Emerald Isle Facebook page also has some good information about rip current and warnings.
