Event narrative (NOAA)
According to Volusia County Beach Safety, someone called 911 after witnessing a grandmother screaming for help from an unguarded portion of the shoreline. Her husband and grandchildren were struggling in the water. Lifeguards pulled a 7-year-old boy from Ocala, Florida out of the water. Officials say he was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. A 16-year-old girl was rescued and treated for non-life-threatening injuries along with the children���s grandfather. The grandmother was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening concerns. Volusia County Beach Safety were flying red flags along the beaches and lifeguards rescued a total of 13 people from rough surf and rip currents along other portions of the Volusia County coast.
Other notable rip current events in Florida
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.