By CATHERINE DONNELLY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
A daylong rescue effort on South Padre Island ended in tragedy late Sunday evening, May 19.
The Coast Guard received a report of swimmers in distress around 7:15 a.m. that morning after two young girls were swept away from shore in a powerful rip current about ¼ of a mile north of County Beach Access #5, according to authorities. The seven-year-old girl was rescued early on, but her 14-year-old cousin Anllelith Moreno Solis, from Harlingen, was no longer visible in the gulf water.
In response, the Coast Guard immediately issued an urgent marine information broadcast and reportedly deployed a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement crew from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island, along with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi. This effort saved the young girl’s life. She was transported to a Harlingen hospital in stable condition after her harrowing ordeal. They were unable to spot Solis and so issued a bulletin to be on the lookout for her and a massive rescue effort ensued.
Around 11 p.m., civilians found Solis washed up on shore and Cameron County Park Rangers recovered her body two miles north of County Beach Access #5. Her aunt and uncle confirmed that it was their niece, according to Chief Park Ranger Horacio Zamora. She was a student at Vernon Middle School in the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD), the district confirmed on Monday.
The Harlingen community is mourning the vibrant 8th grade student who ran track and was poised to graduate from middle school and go on to high school. Her family reports that she was preparing for her quinceanera later on this year.
The district is offering counseling services to comfort staff, students and faculty during this difficult time, according to the superintendent. The campus’ National Junior Honor Society announced a monetary donation drive to benefit Solis’ family which ended just before press time, but the school will most likely continue to add to the funds.
Sunday’s rescue effort for Solis was swift and extensive. The U.S. Coast Guard, along with several state, county and local agencies had been searching for the teen all day and into the evening. There was also a civilian search party of concerned citizens and family, Cameron County Park Rangers, Cameron County Sheriff’s Department, Lifeguards from Cameron County and the City of South Padre Island (SPI), Cameron County Emergency Management, Texas Game Warden and the SPI Fire Department and Ocean Rescue, according to park rangers. Many of the agencies employed the use of drones, boats and helicopters to aid in the search.
The office of Cameron County Beach Patrol confirms that the red flags were out indicating the current dangerous water conditions and riptides. May is Water Safety Month and The National Weather Service and other agencies offer several suggestions for both avoiding rip currents and for anyone who finds themselves in a rip current.
“If you don’t know how to get out of rip current or can’t swim back, you’re going to be in trouble,” Zamora warns.
To Avoid or Survive a Rip Current:
The first thing is to only swim where there are lifeguards and never to swim alone.
Young and weaker swimmers can use properly fitting life jackets and other floating devices to help stay afloat while swimming in all kinds of conditions.
A rip current is a natural treadmill that pulls swimmers outward at a rate of between 1-8 feet per second. Trying to swim against a rip current (straight into shore) will only use up the energy needed to escape its pull.
Rip currents look deceiving as they are often a calm section of water without waves, so it’s recommended to stay where the beach looks uniform.
It’s very important to stay calm and not panic because rip currents don’t pull swimmers under the water, they flow away from shore.
If the swimmer gets tired while trying to escape a rip current, it’s recommended to float until rested.
If there’s a red flag warning, don’t exceed being waist deep. Adults should closely monitor children playing on the shoreline to be sure they don’t go further out.
If in the grips of a rip current, it’s important to swim along the shoreline (parallel to the shore) until having escaped the current’s pull. When free from the rip tide, swim at an angle away from the current toward shore. If having difficulty reaching shore, relax, face the beach, and call or wave for help.
Rip currents typically form where there are breaks in sandbars and near structures such as jetties and piers as well as cliffs that jut into the water. Rip currents are common and can be found on most surf beaches, including the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico.
If swimming on a beach without a lifeguard, it’s recommended to never swim alone. At least one person should take a cell phone so they can call 911 for help (waterproof pouches can keep the cell phone dry).
Texas State Parks and the City of South Padre Island encourage its visitors to enjoy the state’s different bodies of water. The beaches can be used and enjoyed with a little bit of education and a plan on how to do it safely.
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