A new nationwide beach safety measure has been approved two years after a shark attack on an Alabama teenager inspired lawmakers to take action.
Authorities can now send cellphone emergency warnings after shark attacks under federal law, giving swimmers and nearby families faster notice when the water is dangerous.
What happened?
According to a report from the Alabama Political Reporter, Congress approved the bill, named Lulu's Law, with broad bipartisan support.
Shark attacks are now among the incidents that can qualify for Federal Communications Commission Wireless Emergency Alerts, which send urgent messages to phones in a specific area, the outlet reported.
Lulu Gribbin, the Mountain Brook, Ala., teenager for whom the law is named, survived a 2024 bull shark attack in Florida that took a hand and a leg.
Her friend McCray Faust was also attacked, and another woman nearby had been attacked shortly before them, according to Alabama Political Reporter.
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Katie Britt and Gary Palmer, both Alabama Republicans serving in Congress, introduced the federal bill in March.
Britt said, as reported by the Alabama Political Reporter, "This bill signing is the result of two years of working around the clock to help ensure we protect beachgoers across our nation. The timing of this law couldn't be better as countless Americans are enjoying our nation's beaches this summer."
Now approved, under the new rules, the Federal Communications Commission must, within 180 days of Friday's enactment, issue the order that will allow shark attacks to trigger alert messages.
Why does it matter?
A cellphone alert sent to swimmers, parents, lifeguards, and nearby businesses could help clear the water more quickly after an attack and reduce the risk of additional injuries.
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Shark attacks remain rare, but experts have long noted that human-wildlife conflicts can increase when people and animals are pushed into closer contact.
Busy beaches, fishing activity, and changing ocean conditions — including warming waters that can shift where marine life feeds and travels — can all increase the overlap between sharks and humans.
Alabama had already taken action before the federal law passed.
According to the Alabama Political Reporter, Governor Kay Ivey signed a state bill in May 2025 creating an Alabama shark attack alert system, with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources working alongside emergency management agencies in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
People near an attack could receive federal mobile alerts, potentially giving tourists and residents immediate notice instead of leaving them to rely on word of mouth or scattered beach notices.
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