Katie Britt supports shark attack warning bill in honor of Mountain Brook teenager Lulu Gribbin

U.S. Senator Katie Britt today introduced “Lulu’s Law” – named in honor of 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin of Mountain Brook.

Lulu’s Law would codify shark attacks as events that require wireless emergency alerts to be sent.

The Wireless Emergency Alerts system was launched in 2012 and has been used over 84,000 times to warn the public about dangerous weather conditions, missing children and other critical situations – all via alerts on compatible cell phones and other mobile devices.

Britt said Lulu’s Law would encourage authorities to send immediate cellphone alerts – similar to an Amber Alert – to the public when someone has been attacked by a shark or when conditions exist that favor a shark attack.

Lulu and 16-year-old McCray Faust, both students at Mountain Brook High School, were on a mother-daughter outing at Seacrest Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast on June 7 when the teens were bitten while searching for sand dollars with their friends. Lulu’s twin sister, Ellie, was also there and described what happened that day.

Lulu was seriously injured, losing her left hand and her right leg above the knee. McCray suffered bite wounds to her lower leg and foot.

The shark attack occurred just 90 minutes – and a few miles away – after 45-year-old Elisabeth Foley of Virginia was also seriously injured in another attack.

Although the beaches were closed after the attacks, there was widespread concern that this took too long and that there was no reporting system to warn beachgoers – including Lulu and her friends – about the initial attack.

Several passersby jumped to help Lulu, including Stephen Beene, who pulled Lulu from the shark’s grasp, and Matthew Lidle, who took Lulu from Beene and carried her to shore. Doctors and nurses who were also vacationing there immediately jumped into action and applied tourniquets to Lulu’s wounds.

Lulu has now been transferred from Florida to another hospital specializing in amputees and is undergoing rigorous physical therapy, which includes using a prosthetic hand.

“We are eternally grateful that Lulu survived the shark attack on June 7. Lulu is a fighter,” her parents Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin said in a statement released by Britt. “We will get through this and she will adjust to her new lifestyle.”

“However, we still cannot believe that this accident happened,” the parents’ statement said. “This was the second attack that day in such close proximity and it could have been prevented with a better warning system.”

“That’s why Lulu’s Law is so important,” he said. “We are grateful to Senator Britt for introducing this bill, and we encourage Congress to pass it for families like ours who just want to protect their children.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEA) operates the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which sends local alerts that provide authentic emergency information to the public. Other WEA alerts include extreme weather warnings, Amber Alerts, wildfire alerts, and more.

“As someone who has two teenagers of my own, this is very personal to me,” said Britt. “I can’t imagine what this journey must have been like for Lulu or her parents,”

“When Lulu woke up, she said, ‘I did it.’ This brave girl from Alabama is resilient – she is a true fighter who embodies both grace and determination,” Britt said. “I am incredibly proud of her faith, courage and strength.”

Lulu’s Law would allow authorities to provide beachgoers with quick and accurate information to protect them from harm, Britt said.

“This is a common sense measure,” she said, “aimed at keeping families safe – a cause people can rally behind, just as their community, our great state and the entire nation rallied behind Lulu.”