Gulfport Police pushes boater storm preparation education

Gulfport Police are working to educate people about boater safety ahead of storms. This comes after several boats were damaged during Tropical Storm Debby.

"We found ourselves one night with a home and treasured memories and belongings, and now we are sort of scrounging around in our community for places to sleep and be," said Lindsay Vrba, a boat owner.

Lindsay Vrba's boat was damaged during Tropical Storm Debby.

"She's got a hole in the bottom, punched through during the storm...so we are grinding, sanding, and glassing and tipping the boat over and pulling her back in," said Vrba.

She said her boat has a lot of sentimental value, and it breaks her heart to see it this way.

"There's really not much that you can do at that point, just watch your home get destroyed and hope it doesn't destroy other peoples homes," said Vrba.

Many boaters said they had to spend thousands of dollars to repair their boats, and they said it's a long process that is creating a lot of stress. Vrba and other boaters prepared for the tropical storm, but they said the storm ended up intensifying quickly.

"We did not expect the winds to get as wily as they did," said Vrba.

"Everybody prepared for a tropical storm and winds up to 50 miles an hour, but they were almost up to 80 and 90 miles per hours, and it was so much worse than expected," said Reilly Mulligan.

Boaters said preparing for a storm is different compared to ten years ago.

"The climate is changing and we aren't use to all these storms, so things we have done in the past may not hold up anymore," said Vrba.

Marine patrol officer Kevin Chastain said Tropical Storm Debby's strength was a surprise.

"I got to witness the aftermath of it and I was very surprised at the amount of boats that were washed ashore," said officer Chastain.

Chastain said the Gulfport Police Department is now stepping up its education efforts by leaving flyers on boats and having one-on-one conversations with boaters.

"To help them prepare for storms. Pre-storm prep, anchoring procedures, tying off to the mooring bar procedures. The whole nine yards," said Chastain.

He said marinas often open free spaces for boaters whenever a storm is approaching, and his department's message is that you can never be too careful.

"I think the more education we can get out there, the better." Vrba.

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