52-year-old Hickory man drowns at Oak Island
The Town of Oak Island confirmed that there was a fatal drowning just after 2 p.m. on Sunday in Oak Island.
Posted — Updated“Within minutes, responders arrived to find 52-year-old Kevin Whitley of Hickory, NC had been pulled to shore and was being administered CPR by bystanders. Emergency Medical Personnel performed all available resuscitation efforts for over 30 minutes, before pronouncing Mr. Whitley as deceased,” a press release from the Town of Oak Island said.
Oak Island Water Rescue said an emergency room physician from Kentucky led the resuscitation effort before first responders arrived.
Oak Island Water Rescue has received half a dozen water rescue calls as of 3 p.m. on Sunday. Officials are stressing the dangers of the water from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Colin.
“Due to the unsettled waters as a result of Tropical Storm Colin, Oak Island Water Rescue has been flying the YELLOW Beach Warning Flag all day, and has recently upgraded that to a RED flag. A RED flag indicates a high risk of rip and longshore currents and dangerous surf conditions. Beachgoers should stay out of the water, as there is no “safe” water depth identified on RED flag days.”
Officials said that Whitley’s death and other calls received on Sunday cannot be confirmed as related to rip currents.
If you become caught in a rip current:
- Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
- Never fight against the current.
- Think of it like a treadmill that cannot be turned off, which you need to step to the side of.
- Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle – away from the current – toward shore.
- If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
- If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving your arm and yelling for help.
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