Virginia Beach lifeguards pull more than 75 people from rip currents
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Lifeguards on Virginia’s coast have rescued dozens of people from dangerous rip currents.
WAVY TV reports that more than 75 people were pulled from the water along Virginia Beach’s oceanfront on Sunday.
Chief Tom Gill with the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service said it was an usually busy weekend for May.
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"Today is normal for a weekend in July, not the week before Memorial Day," he said.
"Our total number was about 260 people we pulled out last summer," he said.
A storm over the Atlantic prompted a high-risk warning for rip currents along Virginia and North Carolina’s coasts. Red flags popping up along many Hampton Roads beaches.
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Gill urged people to talk to lifeguards if they see a red flag on the beach.
He added: "The other thing we’re seeing already, and we saw a number of them last year, is some serious spinal injuries."
That happens when people dive into water that is shallower than they expect.