Stay off the ice. That’s the message from the U.S. Coast Guard after photos circulated on social media this week of people walking out on to the Lake Michigan ice this week. Executive Petty Officer Zed Bradley with the Coast Guard station in St. Joseph tells us it doesn’t matter how cold it got this week.
“Ice this time of year is very unstable,” Bradley said. “Especially with the fluctuating weather patterns, we’ll get the cold snap and we’ll get some ice, and then like over the next couple of days it’s going to be warming up, and so the ice can come and go pretty quickly this time of year. The Coast Guard’s stance on whether or not ice is safe to be on is a very case by case basis. But no ice is safe ice.”
Bradley says if you fall through the ice, it can be difficult to free yourself.
“Hypothermia can set in very quickly. You have about ten minutes or so in the water before hypothermia sets in and when you can actually have some meaningful movement to be able to rescue yourself.”
And it can take first responders some time to reach a person in need of a rescue. Bradley says it’s difficult to know the strength of the ice along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Rocks underwater also affect its strength. He also advises staying off the pier.
Photo from the Facebook page of South Haven Area Emergency Services.
