As summer temperatures climb, Houston officials are urging families to take extra precautions around pools.
SEE ALSO: Toddler drowns in NW Harris County pool
In Harris County, there have been four fatal drownings involving children under the age of 13 this year.
The two drownings in June involved toddlers, both three years old. One child did not survive, while the other was life-flighted to a hospital. Tragedy struck again overnight in Houston when a 5-year-old girl was found unresponsive in a southwest Houston apartment complex pool and later pronounced dead at the scene.
Rachel Campbell, the director of the Judah Brown Foundation, emphasizes the critical need for water safety as more Texans flock to water activities during the heat.
“Judah was a bright, energetic, loving child. He loved his family. He loved to play,” Campbell said.
Judah Brown, a 3-and-a-half-year-old toddler from Tomball, was the youngest of seven siblings. His parents’ lives changed forever in September 2016 during a family barbecue.
“He had gotten out of the water to get a drink and to dry off for a few minutes, taking off his floaties. When mom looked to her left to check on the older children, he had slipped right back in and was found less than three minutes later,” Campbell recalled.
As the director of The Judah Brown Project, which was started in Judah’s honor, Campbell highlights that water activities become increasingly popular as temperatures rise. She insists that fun and a focus on safety must go hand in hand.
In a Facebook post, Constable Hermann noted that Harris County led the state in drownings last year. He offers several water safety tips, including:
- Watching children closely without distractions and ensuring they are within arm’s reach.
- Emptying tubs and pools immediately after use and storing them upside down.
- Closing toilet lids and doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms.
- Installing fences around pools.
- Learning CPR and basic water safety.
Kennedy Conlee, an aquatics director at the YMCA, warns that not all drownings are immediately noticeable. Many, like Judah’s, are silent.
“You’re not gonna hear them start to drown or become distressed in the water. One misconception is that drowning is loud splashing; that’s not the case. It is silent and can happen in less than 10 seconds,” Conlee explained.
“Losing a child never changes the amount of grief that a parent will have for the rest of their lives,” Campbell said. “It’s very important to make sure that we’re always on top of where they are, what they’re doing, and keeping our eyes on them when they’re around water.”
Judah’s birthday is this Tuesday; he would have been 12 years old.
For more water safety tips, click here.