Lake Michigan is considered the most dangerous lake in the United States, claiming 11 lives so far this year.
One Michigan mother is trying to bring more awareness to the dangers of beaches across the state and calling for more lifeguards.
Last year in August, Emily MacDonald and her boyfriend Kory Ernster drowned at a beach in South Haven.
Yellow flags were flown that day, warning swimmers to use caution when entering the water. However, Emily’s mother, Lisa MacDonald, said the flag system wasn’t enough to save her daughter.
Last year, the Great Lake Surf Rescue Project, a non-profit that provides water safety education, reported 108 drownings in the Great Lakes. Forty-five of those took place in Lake Michigan.
To help prevent future incidents like her daughters’ from occurring, MacDonald created a Facebook page called “Save LIVES… Hire LIFEGUARDS.” On the site, she educates others on water safety, emphasizing the importance of caution for any beachgoers planning on visiting a Michigan beach without a lifeguard.
“Your chance of drowning on a beach with a lifeguard is one in 18 million and so now as a mom, I am just so over the top with anger, you know. Had there been lifeguards on that beach, maybe the story would have had a different outcome,” she said.
Since creating the page, MacDonald says she has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from people who have shared similar stories, as well as from vacationers who opted to spend their holidays at a beach equipped with lifeguards.
“I know I can’t save everyone… but if I can save one person from the tragedy that I went through, it would have been worth it to do all this,” she said.
