Summer safety reminders

With summer just around the corner, warmer days mark the opening of swimming pools and beaches across Indiana.

The Indiana State Department of Health is reminding Hoosiers to protect themselves this summer from illness and injury in pools, lakes and other bodies of water.

In Indiana, 114 people died of drowning in 2017. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 10 people die in the U.S. each day from unintentional drowning.

The CDC advises anyone going in the water to have basic swimming skills. Along with receiving swimming instruction, children should be supervised in or near water at all times. In addition, young Hoosiers should wear a life jacket around natural bodies of water, even if they know how to swim.

Other swimming hazards to be mindful of this summer are waterborne illnesses like, Cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes gastrointestinal illness.

To reduce the risk of contracting or transmitting a recreational water illness, swimmers should avoid swallowing the water and should shower before and after getting out of the water.

To learn more about preventing recreational water illnesses, click here.

For more information on swimming pool safety, visit www.pools.isdh.in.gov.

Additionally, it’s important to keep an eye out for unexpected weather conditions this summer. Tornadoes recently swept across the Midwest, affecting several states, including Indiana. Weather can be unpredictable, and it is critical to learn the necessary steps to take when severe weather hits.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has developed a severe weather preparedness fact sheet to help Hoosier families understand how to respond before, during and after a tornado hits.

In case of a tornado, follow the steps below.

• Make preparedness kits that are tailored to household needs and are portable for easy transport;
• Identify safe places to shelter, including basements, inner rooms and storm cellars away from doors, windows and outer walls.
• Move to one of the identified safe locations and cover your head and neck with arms; and
• Stay out of damaged buildings until they have been inspected and cleared by a building official.

For the full list of severe weather safety tips, click here.