Michigan introduces double red flags to beach warning system: What to know
After an alarming number of Great Lakes beach drownings last summer, Michigan has updated its flag alert system, adding a new, more serious designa...
After an alarming number of Great Lakes beach drownings last summer, Michigan has updated its flag alert system, adding a new, more serious designation: the double red flags, which goes beyond the single red flag and requires, not just recommends, swimmers to stay out of the water. The change, the Department of Natural Resources hopes it will help save lives, and is seeking to let vacationers, who are expected to flock to beaches for the Memorial Day weekend, know. "Many people underestimate the power of the Great Lakes," Ron Olson, the state Department of Natural Resources parks and recreation chief, said, adding that they "don't always understand how quickly even the most experienced swimmer can get into a life-threatening situation and swept away.