Shark Alerts
Teen shark attack survivor's story inspires 'Lulu's Law,' establishing national alert system.
Lulu Gribbin was 15 years old when a shark bit off her left hand and part of her right leg at a Florida beach in June 2024. She had no idea another woman had been attacked just 90 minutes earlier and four miles away — because no alert was sent. Now, that gap in the warning system is being closed. AP News reports that President Donald Trump signed "Lulu's Law" on June 26, 2026, making shark attacks eligible for the same kind of emergency phone alerts used for Amber Alerts and severe weather.
The Federal Communications Commission now has 180 days to build the new alert category into the national system, according to WPXI. Gribbin, now 17, put it simply: "Had I known about the earlier attack, there is no way she would have been swimming."
A 90-Minute Warning That Never Came
On June 7, 2024, Elizabeth Foley, 45, lost her lower left arm to a shark near Watersound Beach, Florida, at 1:20 PM. Beach authorities knew. But 90 minutes later, at 2:55 PM, Gribbin and her friend McCray Faust walked into the water at Seacrest Beach — four miles away — with no warning, according to Dayton Daily News. The shark struck again. Gribbin spent 77 days in the hospital recovering.
The problem was simple: there was no system to push a shark attack warning directly to people's phones. Beaches relied on colored flags and lifeguard whistles. Those tools don't reach a teenager checking her phone on a towel. "This bill will help prevent future attacks," Gribbin testified to lawmakers, according to Daily Gazette.
Congress Passes "Lulu's Law" With Near-Unanimous Support
Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) first introduced the bill in July 2024. The U.S. Senate passed it unanimously. Then on May 20, 2026, the House approved it 401 to 6. Representative Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), who escorted Gribbin onto the House floor for the vote, said, "Lulu's story is a tale of incredible courage... beachgoers will be safer," according to Yahoo News.
Senator Britt described the alerts as working "exactly like how an Amber Alert system works," according to WPXI. Democratic co-sponsor Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii added that "beach safety is a priority" and called it a "smart, common-sense" move. The 401-6 vote reflects rare bipartisan agreement in Washington.
Alabama Already Has the System Running
Gribbin's home state didn't wait for Congress. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a state version of the law on May 6, 2025, covering Baldwin and Mobile counties. That system went live on April 13, 2026, according to Bangor Daily News. Private beach owners who refuse to take part face fines of up to $5,000.
The federal law is designed the same way but broader. It does not force every state to send alerts. Instead, it gives local and state authorities the legal ability to use the national Wireless Emergency Alert system — the same infrastructure that delivers Amber Alerts and tornado warnings — for confirmed shark attacks.
The Alert System Won't Stop Every Attack — But May Prevent the Next One
Scientists note the limits of the new law. Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, points out that the alert does nothing to prevent the very first attack of a day, since sharks are highly mobile and hard to track, according to News4Jax. The system is most useful when, like on June 7, 2024, a second attack could happen near the first.
Lawmakers narrowed the bill's scope during debate to cover only confirmed, unprovoked attacks — not mere sightings. That change was meant to prevent "alert fatigue" and protect coastal tourism. In 2024, the U.S. recorded 36 unprovoked shark bites, with Florida leading at 19, according to CA Yahoo News. The FCC must now turn the law into a working alert system within 180 days.
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