Keep Houston kids safe around water: Here’s how

As the scorching Texas heat arrives, families across the Greater Houston area naturally flock to pools, lakes, and neighborhood aquatic centers for relief and recreation. 

However, summer’s favorite pastime carries a silent, disproportionate danger.

National and regional data paint a sobering picture of water hazards, particularly for communities of color. According to CDC data, the national drowning death rate for Black individuals was 28% higher in 2021 than in 2019. The disparities are especially stark among youth: Black children aged 10–14 are 7.6 times more likely to drown in a swimming pool than their white peers.

Tragically, a 2018 study revealed that 70% of African American children do not know how to swim.

The crisis hits close to home. Nearly 30% of all Texas child drownings occur in Harris County and its surrounding areas. Between 1999 and 2020, Black Texans experienced higher drowning death rates compared to white or Asian/Pacific Islander Texans. Furthermore, drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages 1–4, accounting for 80% of Texas child drownings in that age group in 2020.

Faced with these statistics, local leaders, first responders, and aquatic organizations are uniting to change the narrative.

The myth of the loud drowning

A primary obstacle to water safety is the widespread misunderstanding of how drowning actually occurs. Pop culture often depicts a drowning person as shouting for help and violently thrashing, but real-life scenarios are terrifyingly quiet.

“If a child gets in the pool and they breathe in even a small amount of water, they lose the ability to make noise, and they’re going to go under the water silently,” explains Dudley Wait, chief of EMS for Fort Bend County. “If you’re in your living room listening to the kids play in the pool and saying, ‘Oh, everything’s okay,’ it may not be. You won’t know until one of the kids comes to get you or you look out and see a child on the bottom of the pool.”

First responders stress that these tragedies ripple far beyond the water’s edge.

“In Fort Bend County last year alone, we had eight fatalities,” says Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan. “This is devastating to the families, but not only to the families, to the first responders going to a call that should have never happened.”

The consensus among experts is absolute: water tragedies are completely preventable through active, visual supervision and proper barriers. Because children out of school often try to “sneak and get in,” adults must remain hyper-vigilant.

Actionable steps for water safety

To keep families safe around water this summer, local water safety experts recommend adhering to a strict set of protocols:

• Designate Water Watchers: “Make sure that when you’re around water, you have someone designated to watch the water,” said Candess Tucker of Johnnie Means Aquatics. She recommends rotating adults in 15- to 30-minute shifts so the supervisor remains entirely focused and refreshed.
• Eliminate Distractions: Visual attention means putting away phones, books, and social media. “Put down your phone. Get rid of distractions, and 24/7, you’re watching that pool. Because a child can drown in a few seconds,” warned Fagan.
• Choose High-Visibility Swimwear: Avoid loose, baggy garments. Families should opt for bright, high-visibility colors while avoiding blue swimwear that blends into the water or white swimwear that vanishes against the pool bottom.
• Implement the Buddy System: Always swim in pairs. “Make sure that there’s a partner that you stay with that’s accountable for you, and you’re accountable for them,” Tucker advised.
• Stay Sober: Adults supervising or participating in water activities must strictly avoid alcohol or any other substances that impair judgment and reaction times.

Overcoming access barriers

While supervision is critical, long-term prevention relies heavily on water competency and physical access to safe swimming facilities. However, Black Houstonians frequently face systemic barriers to acquiring these life-saving skills.

“There’s national data that shows that Black children have a high percentage where they don’t know how to swim, particularly if their parents don’t know how to swim,” noted Houston City Councilmember Tiffany Thomas (District F).

Thomas highlights that as Homeowners Associations (HOAs) close private neighborhood pools due to rising maintenance costs, public resources become even more vital. Unfortunately, historically underserved neighborhoods often see their facilities closed first or subjected to limited operational hours during municipal budget crunches.

“Regardless of where you’re at in the city, we want to make sure that Houstonians and Black folks have access to training,” Thomas shared.

To counter these gaps, the city, and Thomas’s own District F initiative—the annual Summer of Safety event—rely on partnerships with the Houston Parks Department and local initiatives like Houston Swim Waves to keep public assets fully activated.

Low-cost swim lessons and local programs

A variety of accessible, low-cost training programs are available across the Greater Houston area to ensure financial limitations do not prevent children from learning to swim.

The YMCA of Greater Houston offers discounted swim lessons as part of its “Safety Around Water” outreach program. Available across all 20 Houston-area YMCAs, the program focuses on fundamental life-saving skills.

“We teach things like teaching kids not to jump in after somebody, how to flip yourself onto your back, and propel yourself to a wall,” says Eric Tiggeman, executive director of the Fort Bend Family YMCA.

Another critical local resource is Johnnie Means Aquatics, a competitive swim team and learn-to-swim program operating out of Texas Southern University (TSU).

The program honors the legacy of Coach Johnnie Means, the historic former head coach of the nationally-ranked TSU Tiger Sharks, who later founded the Harris County Aquatics Program.

“When Harris County ended the competitive side, that’s how I started Johnnie Means Aquatics,” said Tucker. Families can find information about their low-cost instructional programming at www.meansaquatics.com.

Community action: The Summer of Safety

Targeted community events are also scaling up to meet local demand. In District F, Thomas is spearheading the 4th Annual Swim Safety event as part of a broader “Summer of Safety” initiative at the Alief Neighborhood Center and Alief Aquatic Center.

Scheduled for Saturday, June 13, the event features three distinct training sessions designed to prepare families right after city pools open for the season. Recognizing that safety is a multi-layered effort, the initiative integrates vital adult education.

“Every year we’ve added a component of CPR training. So, if you are watching your kids… if something happens, you’re prepared to respond,” stated Thomas.

Ultimately, the collective goal of these regional efforts is to reshape Houston’s relationship with summer recreation, replacing fear with preparedness.

“The pool should be a fun place where parents should not have to worry,” added Tiggeman. “I would love to see zero drownings this year.”