WILLIAMS BAY, Wis. — Communities around Geneva Lake are attempting to return to normal after Friday’s severe storms, though many are still mourning the tragic loss of three children.

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Communities around Geneva Lake are attempting to return to normal after Friday’s severe storms, though many are still mourning the tragic loss of three children

The loss is especially hard for the Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol, which monitors weather conditions to alert boaters to impending storms

Patrol officials are renewing a push to educate boaters about safety in the wake of the fatal storms

Safety tips include watching out for the Water Safety Patrol’s warning system, consisting of boats flying red flags and flashing red lights

Now, there is a renewed push to remind boaters how to keep themselves and their passengers safe.

Boating safety classes are once again underway at the Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol headquarters. Tuesday’s session marks the first since severe storms knocked out power to the building and contributed to the deaths of the three children.

“When there was a tragic event like we had on Friday. Yeah, it does — it affects the entire community,” said Ted Pankau, the Water Safety Patrol’s director.

(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)

Pankau said any loss on the lake is especially hard for those who work to keep it safe. That’s why the patrol wants all Geneva Lake boaters to know their warning system.

“We will put the red flag up on the boats and we’ll run our red lights as well, and kind of do a loop around the entire lake with our boats to let people know that there’s a storm approaching,” Pankau said.

He explained that the patrol tries to get its fleet of four out to warn boaters as soon as possible. However, with fast-moving storms like the one on Friday, they sometimes have only 30 minutes or less to act.

In situations where boaters cannot reach a dock before the storm hits, Pankau offered additional safety guidance.

(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)

“Get to the closest safe place you can. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, you might want to get to a safe bay. We have a few different bays on the lake where they’re somewhat protected by winds and storms.”

Other tips include facing the boat into the wind to minimize the chance of taking on water.

Boater Don Golubski, a retired firefighter, said it’s difficult not to think about what happened, especially with his young grandchildren on board.

“You know, it brings a heightened level of awareness of boating safety as well as, you know, some people have anxiety over it. So we took extra precautions. We have two throwable life jackets for more than everybody, just to stay safe on the water this summer,” Golubski said.

Pankau hopes Friday’s tragedy can help prevent another in the future.

“It affected people profoundly. And I think, you know, to take anything away from it — maybe it would be that I think people after the fact maybe had safety on their minds a little more than maybe they did before,” he said.