Drowning incidents heighten water-safety consciousness

14th July 2014   ·   0 Comments

By Kelly payday advance loans in memphis tn Parker
Contributing Writer

As the peak of summer approac­hes, the crescent city and surrounding areas have witnessed an increasing number of accidental drowning incidents, thus stressing the importance of water safety.

According to the CDC, (Centers for Disease Control and Pre­vention) about 10 people die from unintentional drowning daily. Of these incidents, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drown­ing ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States.

Since Memorial Day, numerous drowning incidents have been reported from Algiers to Plaque­mines Parish this year; with victims ranging in age.

The American Red Cross recently launched a national campaign to reduce the drowning rate by 50 percent over the next three to five years in New Orleans and other communities across the country.

To mark its 100 years of swimming safety education, the Red Cross is planning to teach a total of 50,000 more people in the 50 selected cities across 19 states how to swim, and is urging people across the country to make sure that they and their families can swim.

The American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter is working with local pools and other community partners to get more people to learn to swim well and reduce the risk of drowning. A partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commis-sion (NOR­DC) now offers swimming and water safety programs at 12 public New Orleans pools.

“Free swim classes are offered to both adults and children (from infants to seniors) so, it’s a really great program,” says local Red Cross spokeswoman, Melissa Eugene. “We ask that individuals go to the pool of their choice in Orleans parish and register there.”

“As we all gear up for trips to the pool, beach, rivers and lakes, we’re asking that adults here in New Orleans make water safety a priority this summer,” said Kay W. Wilkins, CEO of the South Louisiana Region. “Families need to make sure that both adults and children have the knowledge and skills they need to be safe in and around the water.”

Eugene also stresses the importance of adult supervision as families enjoy the water this summer.

“If you’re swimming and out with kids, an adult should always be within arm’s reach in the event there’s a problem; because every second counts in regard to water safety,” she told The Louisiana Weekly.

The new Red payday loans behavioral economics Cross drowning prevention campaign comes at a time when a new national survey shows that people believe they are better swimmers than they actually are. The survey, conducted for the Red Cross, found that while 80 percent of Americans said they could swim, only 56 percent of the self-described swimmers can perform all five of the basic skills that could save their life in the water.

These critical water safety skills, also known as “water competency,” are the ability to: Step or jump into the water over your head; Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute; Turn around in a full circle and find an exit; Swim 25 yards to the exit; and Exit from the water. If in a pool, be able to exit without using the ladder.

Overall, the survey finds that more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either cannot swim or don’t have all of the basic swimming skills. Other key survey findings include one in three (33 percent) African Americans report that they can perform all five basic swimming skills, compared to 51 percent of whites.

The survey showed that 84 percent of whites and 69 percent of African Americans say they can swim.

“African Americans are disproportionally affected by drowning, especially Black males—so, it’s a serious issue. Melissa Eugene adds.

Just four in 10 parents of children ages four to 17 report that their child can perform all five basic swimming skills, yet more than nine in 10 (92 percent) say that their child is likely to participate in water activities this summer. Men are significantly more likely than women to report that they have all five basic swimming skills (57 percent for men compared to 36 percent of women.)

The survey found that nearly half of Americans (46 percent) report that they have had an experience in the water where they were afraid they might drown. In addition, one in five (19 percent) said they knew someone who had drowned, and 20 percent knew someone who nearly drowned.

The new Red Cross drowning prevention campaign begins as summer gets underway, and eight out of 10 Americans are planning water activities such as going to the beach, pool, water park, or boating or fishing this summer. A third (32 percent) of all Americans plan to swim at a place this summer without a lifeguard.

While stronger swimming skills would reduce the risk of drowning, the Red Cross survey found that only two percent of adults plan to take swimming lessons this summer, and about one in five children (20 percent) are likely to take swimming lessons this summer.

“Parents and caregivers should take advantage of the summer months to enroll children in Red Cross swim lessons and download the free Red Cross Swim App to track their progress,” Wilkins said. “Parents and caregivers, in addition to learning how to swim, should also know critical water safety rules and know how to respond to a water emergency, so they can protect children and others.”

Monique Saulny-Owumi enrol­led her 11-month-old son Joey in swim lessons when he was just six months old.

“Some of my counterparts were teaching their infants/children how to swim and I wanted to expose Joey to everything that’s out there.”

She’s expressed her displeasure seeing many African American children who want to enjoy swimming but just aren’t taught the proper techniques.

“I grew up with a pool and my mom made sure that if anything were to happen, I knew what to do. I was also a life guard with NORD years ago; I just want to expose my son to every opportunity.”

New Orleans and the other communities selected for the Red Cross drowning prevention campaign have high numbers of drowning deaths or high drowning rates. The campaign will reach 19 states across the country, including Florida, California, Texas, Ala­bama, Mississippi, Georgia, Mary­land and New York. The Red Cross campaign will start in 10 cities this year and expand to 50 cities in the years ahead during the campaign rollout.

This summer the American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter in Programs include:

• Learn to Swim, for children ages five to 17.

• Parent and Child lessons for families with children six months to four years.

• Adult lessons, ages 18 and older.

• Water Aerobics at select pools.

• Adapted Aquatics.

For a complete list of safety tips and more information, go to www.redcross.org. NORD pools across the area are open now through August 10. For a complete list of summer pool openings in Orleans Parish, visit http://www.nola.gov/­nordc/aquatic-programs/#summer pool schedule.

This article originally published in the July 14, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.