A shark bit three people off a southern Texas beach in what the city’s fire chief called an unprecedented incident on the Fourth of July, the same day another person was bitten by a shark in Florida, officials said.

In Texas, three people were bitten in the city of South Padre Island, on a barrier island near Brownsville, and the shark was later located and “pushed out to deeper water,” Fire Chief Jim Pigg said.

“It’s unprecedented here on South Padre Island,” he said. There were two shark bite incidents at different times and locations Thursday, he said.

Police responded to a 911 call that reported “a severe shark bite to the leg” at 11 a.m., city spokesperson Nikki Soto said, and the victim was taken to a local hospital.

After a second 911 call about a shark attack, firefighters found two people who had been bitten by a shark, Pigg said. They were also taken to a hospital.

Kyle Jud, 46, said he saw a woman pulled from the water who appeared to have a bite to a leg.

“Beach patrol lifted her up — her calf was just gone, shredded. Horrific,” Jud said. He posted video of a shark in the water as a helicopter and a boat patrolled.

One of the victims was flown out of a Brownsville hospital for further treatment, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said.

“Shark encounters of this nature are not a common occurrence in Texas,” the department said. “When bites from sharks do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food.”

Pigg said that it has not been determined what type of shark was involved and that an investigation was underway.

Lifeguards were encouraging people in South Padre Island, a beach town of around 2,000 on the barrier island of the same name, to stay out of the water or at least to go no further than knee-deep, Pigg said.

After the shark was spotted and pushed out to deeper water, there had been no further sightings, but Pigg said officials would stay vigilant.

South Padre Island Mayor Patrick McNulty said, “Our hearts and prayers are with the injured and their families and we hope for a speedy recovery.” 

In New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a 21-year-old man was bitten by a shark while he was playing football in knee-deep water around 4 p.m., said Tamra Malphurs, interim director of Volusia County Beach Safety.

The man, who was visiting the city on the Atlantic coast from Ohio, was taken to a hospital, and his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Malphurs said.

There were 36 unprovoked shark attacks against humans in the U.S. last year, and two of those people died, the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File said in its most recent annual report.

The project, which documents shark attacks around the world, says that the risk of being attacked by a shark is relatively very small but that swimmers can minimize their risk even further by staying in groups and closer to shore.

With all the chaos surrounding Jim Schlossnagle’s semi-disastrous exit to head the Texas Longhorns baseball program just a day after Texas A&M’s College World Series Finals loss to Tennessee, Aggies athletic director Trev Alberts was determined to find his successor much sooner than later.

Just five days later, it was announced after interviewing nearly a dozen candidates that former hitting coach Michael Earley, who tentatively followed Schlossnagle to Austin, was hired as A&M’s 21st head coach in program history following an impressive interview coupled with current players, prospects and fellow coaches immense respect what he brings to the table.

Needing a reliable coaching staff to get him through the ups and downs of his inaugural campaign, it has been announced that two key assistant coaches have officially been hired: new associate head coach/pitching coach Jason Kelly and new recruiting director/hitting coach Caleb Longley.

Longley has spent the majority of his coaching career at Texas in the same capacity as his new duties with Texas A&M. During the 2022 season, he helped the Longhorns hit a program record 128 home runs while helping sign the No. 3-ranked 2024 recruiting class last offseason.

Jason Kelly’s coaching career has been fast and furious, serving as a pitching coach since 2003, and like Longley, was Arizona State’s pitching coach from 2020-2021 during the time that both Earley and Longley were on the Sun Devils staff. During his six-year run as Washington’s pitching coach, Kelly was named D1Baseball.com’s Assistant Coach of the Year during the program’s only College World Series appearance.

Before becoming LSU head coach Jay Johnson’s first hire during his transition to LSU, Kelly’s brief stint as Washington’s head coach was an immediate success. He led the Huskies to an NCAA Regional appearance during the 2023 season.

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SAN ANTONIO – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed 39 Texas Emergency Management Council agencies to begin response and recovery efforts as preparations for Hurricane Beryl, a press release said Wednesday.

Abbott said he is calling for 24/7 staffing plans for the State Emergency Operations Center, in case Hurricane Beryl hits the Texas Gulf Coast.

“Texas stands ready to deploy all available resources and support to our coastal communities as Hurricane Beryl approaches the state,” Abbott said in the press release. “Today, I directed TDEM to issue an advisory notice to our emergency management agencies to ensure Texas is prepared and equipped for hurricane response and recovery efforts. As Texans around the south coastal areas make holiday plans and visitors begin to travel for the holiday weekend, I urge them to take necessary safety precautions, remain weather aware, and have an emergency plan ready for themselves and their families. State and local officials will continue to work around-the-clock to monitor statewide weather conditions and help protect Texans.”

KSAT Money: How to prepare your finances before a natural disaster

The press release said Texans are urged to stay informed, monitor local weather forecasts, follow directions from local officials and make an emergency plan.

Additionally, visitors that area headed to Texas beaches should review beach safety tips and be aware of the risks of rip currents during the approaching tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico, the press release states.

Texans are encouraged to visit the TDEM Disaster Portal or Texas Hurricane Center webpages for storm information. Additional storm safety and preparedness information is available at TexasReady.gov and tdem.texas.gov/prepare.

The 39 participating agencies include:

• Texas Division of Emergency Management

• Texas A&M University System

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

• Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service – Texas A&M Task Force 1

• Texas A&M Forest Service

• Texas Military Department – Texas National Guard

• Texas Department of Public Safety

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

• Texas Department of Transportation

• Public Utility Commission of Texas

• Railroad Commission of TexasTexas Commission on Environmental Quality

• Texas Animal Health Commission

• State Comptroller of Public Accounts

• Texas Commission on Fire Protection

• Texas Department of Agriculture

• Texas Department of Criminal Justice

• Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

• Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

• Texas Department of Information Resources

• Texas Department of Insurance

• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation

• Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

• Texas Department of State Health Services

• Texas Education Agency

• Texas Facilities Commission

• Texas General Land Office

• Texas Health and Human Services Commission

• Texas Office of the Attorney General

• Texas State Auditor’s Office

• Texas Workforce Commission

• Texas State University System

• Texas Tech University System

• University of Houston System

• University of North Texas System

• University of Texas System

• Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

• The Salvation Army

• The American Red Cross