Key facts
- President Donald Trump signed 'Lulu's Law' to authorize emergency alerts for shark attacks.
- The legislation was inspired by 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin, who lost her hand and part of her leg in a shark attack.
- The law requires the Federal Communications Commission to allow these alerts, similar to Amber Alerts.
- States will be responsible for implementing the warning systems.
- Alabama has already approved a similar warning system.
President Donald Trump has signed federal legislation, dubbed 'Lulu's Law,' to authorize emergency alerts for shark attacks. The law was inspired by 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin, who suffered severe injuries, including the loss of her left hand and part of her right leg, in a shark attack off the coast of Florida in 2024. Gribbin stated that knowing about a prior shark bite that occurred just miles away and 90 minutes earlier would have prevented her from entering the water.
The legislation requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to permit emergency messages for shark attacks, similar to how Amber Alerts function for child abductions. While the federal law authorizes the warnings, it is up to individual states to implement them. Gribbin's home state of Alabama approved such a system last year.
Gribbin expressed hope that the new alert system will help prevent future attacks, stating, "I definitely see this law working in the future and I’m really excited to hopefully save lives." U.S. Senator Katie Britt, who sponsored the bill, credited Gribbin's "courage, perseverance, and advocacy" for its passage.
Experts like Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's shark research program, note that while shark bites are rare globally, multiple bites in close proximity are even rarer. He attributes such occurrences to environmental factors like sharks following bait fish or murky water conditions. Naylor emphasized that sharks generally avoid humans, with the low number of bites being a testament to this behavior.
Another shark attack survivor, Braxton Rocha, who was bitten in Hawaii in 2015, also expressed support for an alert system, believing it would be valuable information for beachgoers, especially tourists.