U.S. Coast Guard saved 45 lives in Great Lakes over July 4 weekend
Jul 08, 2020 01:32PM ● By Editor
Coast Guard rescues 5 people, dog from sinking 52-foot boat in Saginaw Bay on July 1, 2020. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard units throughout the Great Lakes reported their busiest Independence Day weekend in at least five years, conducting more than 100 search-and-rescue cases and saving or assisting more than 300 people throughout the region.
Two people drowned on the lakes between July 3 and July 5, according to the Coast Guard.
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has reported 21 drownings on the Great Lakes this year.
- Lake Michigan 10
-- Lake Superior 1
-- Lake Huron 0
-- Lake Erie 6
-- Lake Ontario 4
The Coast Guard rescued two swimmers clinging to the breakwater in Port Huron, Michigan. They assisted with boat collisions, capsizings and sinkings, according to a news release.
Karl Willis, a search and rescue specialist at the Coast Guard’s Ninth District Headquarters in Cleveland, said that over the weekend Coast Guard crews in the Great Lakes saved 45 lives, helped another 271 people and conducted at least two search-and-rescue cases with their Canadian partners.
Willis said the Coast Guard is approximately 200 search-and-rescue cases ahead of last year’s pace, and about 60 cases over the five-year average.
The Coast Guard recommends boaters file float plans, do not drink, wear lifejackets and make sure their vessels and all associated safety equipment, including a marine-band VHF radio, are well maintained.
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