In June of 2024, two Mountain Brook stunts were injured in a shark attack at Seacrest Beach in Florida. McCray Faust suffered bite wounds on her lower extremities, but fared better than Lulu Gribbin. Gribbin lost her left hand, and the lower portion of her right leg in the attack.

They were not the only shark victims that day though. Roughly and hour and half prior to them being bitten, another woman had been attacked as well just a few miles away.

Many believe that the second attack on the girls could have been avoided with the knowledge that sharks were in the water, and someone had already been attacked.

Congressman Gary Palmer is one of those people. He is pushing for a new law known as “Lulu’s Law” in the House of Representatives that would “require the Federal Communications Commission to issue an order providing that a shark attack is an event for which a wireless emergency alert may be transmitted,and for other purposes.” It would work much like an Amber Alert, or Tornado Warning when there is attack, and people could be warned of the danger in the area, allowing them to get out of the water.

Palmer said of the bill

“If there is a commonsense solution to keeping Americans safe and out of harm’s way, we should capitalize on it. Had an alert gone out on June 7, 2024, the dreadful shark attack on Lulu could have been prevented,” said Rep. Palmer. “Lulu’s tremendous strength, faith, and bravery throughout her healing journey has inspired many. By passing Lulu’s Law, we would be creating a practical solution to prevent future attacks from occurring and keeping beachgoers safe.”

Senator Katie Britt agrees, and has a companion bill in the Senate. She had the following to say regarding the bill:

“Last June, the unthinkable happened when Lulu suffered a devastating shark attack. When Lulu woke up, she said, ‘I made it’ and since then, she has only continued to prove her resilience,” said Sen. Britt. “I’m incredibly proud of her faith, her courage, and her strength – she truly personifies both grace and grit. Lulu’s Law would empower authorities to quickly and accurately put information in the hands of beachgoers to help keep them out of harm’s way. This is a commonsense measure aimed at keeping families safe – a cause that I know people can rally around, just like her local community, our great state, and the entire nation have rallied around Lulu.”

Locally in Alabama, there is support for such a state law as well. Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook introduced legislation, HB 437 that would establish a system under the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources through Mobile and Baldwin County Emergency Management Agencies to warn people in the vicinity of a confirmed unprovoked shark attack.

Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday shared her strong support for House Bill 437 to establish a shark alert system under the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for beaches and shorelines in Baldwin and Mobile counties. The bill would enable Mobile and Baldwin County Emergency Management Agencies to warn individuals of a shark attack by providing for alerts to be sent to mobile cellular devices in localized areas and to first responders on duty.

The governor issued the following comment:

“Officials in Baldwin and Mobile counties do fantastic work to keep Alabamians and our many visitors safe when they are down enjoying our beautiful beaches. Establishing a shark alert system will be an added tool to keep those enjoying our Gulf of America waters safe. I thank Representative David Faulkner for bringing this legislation forward, and I commend Lulu Gribben and her family for inspiring positive change in our own state. Lulu is truly an inspiration and awesome example of courage. Let’s be Lulu strong and get this bill to my desk so I can sign it into law!” – Governor Kay Ivey

The alert system shall be activated when the Department receives a confirmed report of an unprovoked shark attacking an individual within close proximity to a shoreline or coastline. The bill passed out of House Committee this morning.

You can read the House Bill in the PDF below