GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — On days like Thursday when the waves are up to 6 feet, the danger on Lake Michigan can be obvious. However, it's not just the days when the red flags are flying that can be deadly along the lakeshore.
Brandi Donley, the mother of a son who drowned in Lake Michigan back in 2018, has seen a large amount of victim blaming and finger pointing on social media recently when it comes to drownings on the lake. That's when she went on a local Facebook Page to make a post in hopes of changing the narrative.
Donley said "I posted a comment in Grand Haven Informed that kind of addressed a different perspective of a drowning, a tragedy, and how it affects the loved ones of the victims. I really wanted to address, you know, like, public comments that were being made, or victim shaming that was being done based off flag colors that were flying, or conditions of the lake, etc, and so forth. And just really wanted to give a better outlook on the fact that it doesn't matter what color flag is flying."
She continued saying that there are so many different kinds of dangers in Lake Michigan and that they are always present. "It's not just rip currents that we have to look for. There's also multiple different kinds of rip currents, you know, we have cold water shock, that could create a drowning situation. And I guess, I was kind of hoping to bring the community more together, to be able to open a discussion to talk more about it and in more of a productive way."
When it comes to the lakeshore using your best judgement and staying out of the water when it's getting choppy and dangerous is always the best course of action. Donley also leaves us with the following.
"I think the biggest misconception is, well, the flag colors. They believe if a green flag is flying that they're safe. The lake is never safe. There's always dangers lurking."
Stay safe out there and remember for the latest beach conditions here in West Michigan each day you can text "BEACH" to 616-559-1310.
-- Meteorologist Michael Behrens
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