Speaker Adams, Majority Whip Brooks-Powers, and Council Member Krishnan join water safety advocates and families impacted by drownings in the Rockaways
Far Rockaway, NY – Today, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Parks and Recreation Committee Chair Shekar Krishnan, other Council Members, and water safety advocates honored the lives of seven New Yorkers who drowned this summer. It was the highest number of drownings at city beaches since 2019. According to a City Council analysis, many communities lack access to swimming and water activity programs, with more than 3 million New Yorkers living in City Council districts without a single public pool.
On Tuesday, September 24, the City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation will hold an oversight hearing on best practices and solutions to prevent drownings at the city’s beaches and pools. The Committee, led by Chair Krishnan, will consider several bills to expand water safety, including the creation of an interactive map to post information regarding swimming pools, studying the feasibility of starting a junior lifeguard corps to develop a pipeline of new lifeguards, and the distribution of water safety materials in schools. The proposed legislation builds on the Council’s previous efforts to keep New Yorkers safe from preventable tragedies at New York City’s beaches, representing its commitment to further action.
“The death of seven New Yorkers this summer to drownings is a tragic reminder of the need for our City to prioritize comprehensive water safety education for all,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Water safety is a matter of life-and-death. In addition to more lifeguards and free swimming classes, we must educate New Yorkers on how to spot danger in our volatile and unpredictable waters so that we can protect ourselves. As a city, it is our responsibility to prevent these avoidable tragedies, and I am committed to working with stakeholders across our government to ensure that New Yorkers know how to keep themselves safe.”
“The Rockaways and other coastal communities across New York City are beloved summer destinations, but they also present very real dangers, especially to those who may not have had the chance to learn how to swim,” said New York City Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. “The heartbreaking loss of lives, particularly young lives, reminds us of the urgency of addressing the issue of swim safety head-on. The New York City Council is committed to swimming access and equity through initiatives like Local Law 132, a bill I introduced which improves access to pools particularly for communities without that infrastructure in place. I stand with the families who have tragically lost their loved ones this year to drownings and honor the memories of those we’ve lost by ensuring their stories lead to meaningful change.”
“The seven drownings at public beaches this past summer show us the tragic consequences of the lack of pools, swim programs, and water safety education in New York City,” said Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Chair of the Committee on Parks & Recreation. “In this city surrounded by water, it is disgraceful that one in four children cannot swim. And it is egregious that our NYC Parks pools have been operating with a fraction of the lifeguards they need for several years now. That’s why Speaker Adams, my colleagues, and I are gathered here today – to commit to take the urgent action necessary to prevent future drownings.”
“Each summer, we see otherwise preventable deaths occurring in our waters,” said Council Member Joann Ariola. “These tragedies prove that we need better swim safety programs in our schools and more lifeguards on our beaches. This all has to change. The time for action is now – we need increased investment in comprehensive water safety programs and lifeguard recruitment drives before any more families are forced to suffer the consequences of inaction.”
“As an organization dedicated to providing and helping our families and young community members with water safety skills, our deepest condolences go out to all the families who are mourning due to the tragic deaths by drowning,” said Craig Lastres, COO of Commonpoint. “Our goal at Commonpoint is to provide barrier-free, essential water safety instruction for our children and families. We are so grateful for the partnership with NYC Council Members who support water safety and are advocating for all children to have more opportunities to learn water safety and swimming skills. Providing swim instruction for all children will not only make our beaches and pool safer but also allow us to empower our youth to be the next generation of lifeguards and swim instructors.”
“Swim Strong Foundation’s family members deeply feel the loss of young lives and grieve with their families,” said Shawn Slevin, Executive Director of Swim Strong. “How do we stop the drowning? Implement a layered approach which includes educating our citizens about Situational Knowledge of Water to help us all manage the risk when in, on, and around water. Swim Strong has reached 55,000 students with our free “A Conversation About Water Safety,” supported by the Speaker’s Initiative. We encourage school leadership to reach out and schedule this programming now. Provide funding to not for profits to expand low to no cost swim lessons for families in need. Add mobile/roving lifeguard patrols during daylight hours when the lifeguards are off shift. I am aware of AI technology which can enhance the ability of drones to see individuals potentially in trouble in the water. TARU, reach out to me! All of us together through education, skill and good judgment can reduce our risk of drowning.”
“Asphalt Green mourns every life lost to drowning. In a city surrounded by water, we believe learning to swim isn’t just a necessity—it’s a fundamental right,” said Jordan Brackett, CEO of Asphalt Green. “We will continue to partner with city government and our fellow program providers until free swim instruction is truly available to all New Yorkers.”
“Seven more young lives lost is completely unacceptable, and my heart goes out to the families enduring the unimaginable pain of their loss,” said Kaitlin Krause, Executive Director of Rising Tide Effect. “These drownings should never have happened. The Rockaway Peninsula is the deadliest stretch of coastline in the city, and has been for over 20 years. Conditions like rip currents are only intensifying due to the growing impact of climate change, with storms becoming more frequent and severe. It’s sickening and deeply troubling that we’re not making progress in preventing these tragedies. More urgent action is clearly needed to protect our communities. We owe it to these families, and to every New Yorker, to ensure no more lives are lost due to a lack of safety and awareness. My heart is with those grieving today, and I stand with them in calling for immediate action.”
“The tragic rise in drowning deaths is an urgent call to action. Water safety education and access to swimming lessons are not just important—they are lifesaving necessities, especially for our most vulnerable communities,” said Aydon Gabourel, Co-Founder of Laru Beya Collective. “As advocates at Laru Beya Collective, we are determined to provide these critical resources, but it’s clear that much more needs to be done. We need immediate and increased funding for water safety programs, equitable access to aquatic training, and a dramatic boost in lifeguard staffing across New York City. Every New Yorker must have the skills and knowledge to stay safe in the water. Lives are at stake, and we cannot afford to wait.”
“The Water Safety Coalition is devastated by the drownings occurring along the city’s shorelines, our thoughts are continually with the families and friends of those lost. Too often in our city, a day at the beach can turn into tragedy or near tragedy,” said Shanna Blanchard, Chair of the Water Safety Coalition. “Drowning and water-based accidents are preventable. We strongly urge the city and state to better invest in water safety education on our shorelines and in the classroom; better equip our lifeguard corps and communities to keep residents and visitors at our shorelines safe; and develop and implement new partnerships and policies that will enable nonprofits with expertise in water safety and aquatics to educate and reach those in need. There are workable solutions to this crisis and partnership between government, communities, and nonprofits is essential.”
“Together as a city, we mourn the tragic death of these New Yorkers whose lives were cut too soon by a preventable tragedy,” said Nora Cronin, Program Director, Friends of + POOL. “We call on city officials to continue to allocate funding for more public pools, as six of these seven victims lived more than a 15-minute transit ride from a public pool, and increased funding of water-safety education, specifically for those for whom private swim instruction is financially out of reach. It is our civic duty in a city with 520 miles of waterfront to teach our neighbors how to be safe around water.”
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