Alabama senator introduces legislation to create alerts for shark attacks in honor of 15-year-old victim

(CNN) — US Sen. Katie Britt wants beachgoers to be made aware of shark attacks in the same way they receive Amber Alerts or severe weather warnings following an Alabama teenager’s June encounter with a shark.

The Republican senator from Alabama has introduced legislation that would codify shark attacks as events for which wireless emergency alerts may be transmitted. The Federal Emergency Management Agency manages the public alert system, and these local emergency alerts can include warnings about extreme weather, missing minors or evacuation orders, among other incidents.

Lulu’s Law – named in honor of Lulu Gribbin, a Mountain Brook, Alabama, 15-year-old who sustained “nearly fatal injuries” in a June 7 shark attack in Walton County, Florida – would “encourage authorized local, state, tribal and federal government authorities to quickly deploy warnings via mobile phone alert messages to the public if a shark has attacked someone or if the conditions enhancing the possibility of a shark attack are present,” Britt’s office said in a Tuesday news release.

Lulu lost her right leg and left hand in the attack, which occurred in waist-deep water, The Associated Press reported. Lulu’s friend, McCray Faust, was with her and suffered minor injuries to her foot, CNN affiliate WAAY reported.

Just 90 minutes prior and a few miles away from where the teenagers were injured, another woman was also attacked by a shark, the news release from Britt’s office noted. Elisabeth Foley, a 45-year-old from Virginia, lost her left hand in the attack and her midsection was severely injured, the AP reported.

Lulu’s parents said they are “grateful” to Britt for introducing the legislation.

“We are eternally grateful that Lulu survived the shark attack on June 7,” Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin said in the senator’s office news release. “However, we remain in disbelief this accident occurred. This was the second attack that day in close proximity, and it could have been prevented with a better alert system. That’s why Lulu’s Law is so important.”

Britt said as the mother of two teenagers, what happened to Lulu “hits close to home.”

“Lulu’s Law would empower authorities to quickly and accurately put information in the hands of beachgoers to help keep them out of harm’s way,” Britt said in the release. “This is a commonsense measure aimed at keeping families safe – a cause that I know people can rally around, just like her local community, our great state, and the entire nation have rallied around Lulu.”

While the risk of being bitten by a shark is extremely low, Florida tops global charts for the number of shark bites, according to a 2023 report from the Florida Museum of Natural History. There were 16 cases of unprovoked shark bites in the state of Florida last year, the report said, with a nationwide total of 36 bites, including two fatalities.

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