Cazual Conversation
Your chance to comment on local politics
Drownings are inevitable and no one’s to blame
August 5th, 2008, 5:35 pm · 5 Comments · posted by mcazalas
The newspaper today told me me three people have drowned in separate incidents in turbulent waters stirred up by storms despite officials’ warnings to use caution.
Yet no one is alarmed, no one is calling for government intervention, and no one seems to be blaming anyone but the unfortunate swimmers’ choices.
This could be because I’m in New Hampshire at the moment and the drownings above happened here. While I don’t give Yankees credit for much, they get credit for this: they are pragmatic. The general consensus is the three folks who drowned in rivers swollen from recent rain were there despite warnings, and no one is looking to parcel out blame.
Reading the News Herald online at www.newsherald.com, I see three people drowned off our beaches, making it about 10 for the year. Almost all went in during red or double-red flag conditions, and some were verbally warned as well.
Yet when their persistence or lack of awareness leads to a drowning, the cries rise for the government to levy taxes of pull money out the sky and provide lifeguards.
Sadly, it won’t prove effective even if lifeguards were in place, I’m afraid. Panama City Beach’s offshore conditions appear unique, from the dual-sandbar system to the affects of dredging to wave action.
At what price do we decide to save people from themselves?
We on one hand demand law enforcement do something about it, then complain when they ask for the ordinances they need to force people out of the water. We accuse them of doing nothing, or of being too intrusive.
Lifeguards, presumably, would have no more authority to force people out of rough waters than the cops do now. If they are going to be given that authority via ordinance, why not give it now to the existing beach and surf patrols?
Here in New Hampshire, it seems that the fact that people drown or fall off rocks is a matter of course.
The three New Hampshire drownings - one involved an out-of-state visitor - involved people slipping off rocks at popular swimming spots. There is no talk of dynamiting the rocks, closing them to the public, or militarizing them with police.
While I still hold them responsible for the War of Northern Aggression, the fierce independence and self-accountability of New Englanders is something from which we can learn.
The people that go in the water when there are warning flags are stupid….
This yankee agrees with you. Stupid is as stupid does. Most of those who drown are people from adjacent southern states. So are southerners inherently stupid or is there some other reason they think the are immune from drowning? I still think a scoreboard of deaths should be put up so at least those that can read will know they may not come out of the water alive if they choose to ignore the flags.
How does PCB determine what color flag to fly? NOAA on Wednesday declared a LOW risk of rip currents, but we only downgraded to a single red flag. Why?
I agree with Meemoe! Tyndall AFB used to post the name of their most recent DUI arrest and what squadron they were in. A sign listing the home city and state of each drowning victim might open some eyes. The chances are slim though.
Local people do not drown as a rule. We know the dangers because we live here and grew up knowing how to handle ourselves in the water.
People who drown are usually tourists who don’t have a clue what a rip tide is and never heard of sun block. Yankees mostly, who love to criticize
us but can’t seem to stay away from us.
As far as the person who wants government control over swimmers….get a brain.