Environmental and climate challenges pose significant obstacles to effective drowning prevention and water safety education. The overview below describes how specific climate realities such as extreme heat, flooding, and other climate-related phenomena intersect with water safety and drowning prevention:

1. Extreme Heat

• Increased Water Activity: Rising temperatures encourage more people, including children, to seek relief in water bodies like pools, lakes, and rivers, leading to higher drowning risks.

• Urban Heat Islands: Disadvantaged communities in urban areas may lack access to safe, managed aquatic facilities, pushing residents to swim in unsupervised or unsafe water sources (e.g., canals, ponds).

• Pool Deserts: The same concept as a “food desert”: Communities that have not had access to easy, safe aquatics competencies.

• Dehydration & Heat Stress: Swimmers, especially young children, are at risk of dehydration or heat exhaustion, which can lead to disorientation or fainting while in the water.

Implications for Drowning Prevention:

• Increased demand for accessible, safe water spaces in urban and rural areas.

• Necessity for public facilities to integrate cooling features such as shaded areas, misters, and sustainable pool cooling systems.

2. Flooding

• Unpredictable Water Environments: Floodwaters are fast-moving, murky, and often contaminated with debris, creating dangerous conditions for both unintentional drowning and rescue efforts.

• Lack of Familiarity: Populations in previously low-risk flood zones may not be prepared or educated about the dangers of flooding, including the risks of wading into floodwaters.

• Displacement: Flooding can destroy community aquatic facilities, reducing access to formal water safety education and programming.

• Post-Flooding Environmental Risk: Flood waters may remain for days or weeks, increasing environmental risk due to disease but also due to ubiquity of standing water near refugee camps. This increased risk occurs domestically and abroad.

Implications for Water Safety Education:

• Need for curriculum addressing the specific risks of floodwaters (e.g., swift water and currents, submerged debris, contamination).

• Expansion of drowning prevention programming to areas increasingly impacted by floods due to climate change.

• Training of community responders to manage water rescues in flood scenarios.

3. Rising Sea Levels, Storm Surges & Atmospheric Rivers

• Atmospheric Rivers & Hurricanes: Prolonged rain causes rivers to flood, overtaking infrastructure even in mountainous areas once considered “safe” from climate change (Hurricane Helene’s 2024 devastation in mountainous North Carolina is one prime example).

• Coastal Risks: Rising sea levels and stronger storm surges increase risks of drowning in coastal areas, especially for communities living near beaches or estuaries.

• Saltwater Intrusion: Coastal inundation can contaminate freshwater resources, potentially limiting access to clean aquatic facilities.

• Evacuation Hazards: During storms, unprepared residents may be swept into storm surges or attempt unsafe crossings of flooded roads.

Implications for Water Safety Education:

• Incorporating coastal and marine-specific drowning risks into water safety education.

• Teaching children and adults how to identify rip currents, storm surge dangers, and other coastal hazards.

PLACEHOLDER FOR HURRICANE HELENE news/photos

4. Droughts & Water Scarcity

• Reduced Access to Safe Aquatic Facilities: Droughts may force closure or reduced operation of public pools and aquatic centers due to water restrictions.

• Unsafe Alternatives: People may turn to unsafe or unregulated water bodies, such as reservoirs, canals, or abandoned pools, increasing drowning risks.

• Economic Inequities: Drought impacts are often more severe in low-income communities, further limiting access to water safety programs and facilities.

Implications for Water Safety Education:

• Advocacy for drought-resilient aquatic infrastructure (e.g., water-recycling pools, splash pads).

• Prioritizing community access to safe aquatic facilities, even in times of water scarcity.

5. Hurricanes & Cyclones

• Post-Disaster Risks: Floodwaters and storm damage create hazardous conditions for drowning, especially in low-lying areas and informal settlements.

• Disrupted Access: Hurricanes often destroy infrastructure, including swimming pools and safe recreational water spaces.

Implications for Water Safety Education:

• Post-disaster programs focused on water safety in temporary or high-risk conditions.

• Ensuring community preparedness for water-related emergencies during storms.

6. General Climate Change Impacts

• Migration and Displacement: Climate-related migration often moves vulnerable populations into areas with unfamiliar water risks, such as coastal zones or floodplains.

• Psychosocial Impacts: Climate stress can reduce focus on water safety education as families prioritize immediate survival needs.

• Infrastructure Inequities: The exacerbation of existing inequities in access to safe water spaces as climate change disproportionately affects marginalized populations.

Implications for Drowning Prevention:

• Community-based strategies that integrate water safety education into broader climate resilience planning.

• Collaboration with climate and public health agencies to ensure drowning prevention programs are part of disaster preparedness efforts.

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Strategies: Planetary Health & Drowning