Legislation that would create a national shark alert system is one step closer to becoming a law. Named after 17-year-old shark attack survivor Lulu Gribbin, “Lulu’s Law” would require Amber Alert-type notifications for shark attacks. As ABC News reports, the bill passed both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday. Now it’s headed to the President’s desk for signature. If it is approved, the FCC will be required to take action within 180 days.
Gribbin, a resident of Mountain Brook, Alabama, was bitten by a bull shark while visiting Florida’s Seacrest Beach on the Gulf Coast in 2024. She lost her left hand and right leg in the attack. “This was really important to me, because 90 minutes prior to my accident, only three miles down the coast, there was another shark attack, and we believe it was the same shark [that attacked me],” Lulu told ABC News this week.
Alabama already implemented its own version of a shark alert system in April. Also named after Gribbin, the system sends out localized texts when The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources receives a confirmed report of an unprovoked shark attack or a credible report of shark activity that poses an imminent danger to beachgoers. At first, the system was designed to send a text whenever there was any shark sighting, but that was scaled back for fear of excessive alerts.
However, shark attacks are still rare events, especially in Alabama. According to The Florida Museum’s international shark attack file, the state has experienced eight unprovoked shark attacks in the past 179 years. “I don’t anticipate us ever having to use this,” Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources commissioner Chris Blankenship told al.com about the system.
