U.S. Senator Katie Britt today is introducing Lulu’s Law — named in honor of 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin from Mountain Brook.

Lulu’s Law would codify shark attacks as events for which wireless emergency alerts would be transmitted.

The Wireless Emergency Alerts system was launched in 2012 and has been used more than 84,000 times to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations – all through alerts on compatible cell phones and other mobile devices.

Britt said Lulu’s Law would encourage authorities to quickly deploy warnings via mobile phone alert messages – similar to an Amber Alert – to the public if a shark has attacked someone or if the conditions enhancing the possibility of a shark attack are present.

Lulu and 16-year-old McCray Faust, both Mountain Brook High School students, were on a mother-daughter trip at Seacrest Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast June 7 when the teens were bitten while looking for sand dollars with their friends. Lulu’s twin sister, Ellie, was there as well and has describe what happened that day.

Lulu was critically injured, losing her left hand and her right leg above the knee. McCray sustained bite injuries to her lower leg and foot.

The shark attack happened just 90 minutes – and a few miles away – after 45-year-old Elisabeth Foley of Virginia was also critically injured in a separate attack.

Though the beaches were shut down following the attacks, there was widespread concern that it took too long to do so and there was no notification system that would have alerted beachgoers – including Lulu and her friends – to the first attack.

Multiple bystanders jumped in to help Lulu, including Stephen Beene, who pulled Lulu from the shark, and Matthew Lidle, who took Lulu from Beene and carried her to the shore. Doctors and nurses who were also vacationing there jumped into action, putting tourniquets on Lulu’s wounds.

Lulu has since been moved from Florida to another hospital that specialized in amputees and is undergoing rigorous physical therapy that includes working with a prosthetic hand.

“We are eternally grateful that Lulu survived the shark attack on June 7. Lulu is a fighter,’’ her parents, Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin said in a statement released by Britt. “We will get through this, and she will adapt to her new lifestyle.”

“However, we remain in disbelief this accident occurred,’’ the parents’ statement read. “This was the second attack that day in close proximity, and it could have been prevented with a better alert system.”

“That’s why Lulu’s Law is so important,’’ the said. “We’re grateful to Senator Britt for introducing this legislation, and we encourage Congress to pass it for families like ours who just want to keep our children safe.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency manages the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which sends out local alerts that provide authentic emergency information to the public. Other WEA alerts include warnings about extreme weather, amber alerts, wildfires, and more.

“Having two teenagers myself, this hits close to home,’’ Britt said. “I cannot imagine what this journey has been like for Lulu or for her parents,”

“When Lulu woke up, she said, ‘I made it.’ This brave Alabama girl is resilient—she is a true fighter, personifying both grace and grit,’’ Britt said. “I’m incredibly proud of her faith, her courage, and her strength.”

Lulu’s Law would empower authorities to quickly and accurately put information in the hands of beachgoers to help keep them out of harm’s way, Britt said.

“This is a commonsense measure,’’ she said, “aimed at keeping families safe – a cause that I know people can rally around, just like her local community, our great state, and the entire nation have rallied around Lulu.”