CHICAGO _ When public swimming pools and beaches closed, the key to surviving a sweltering Chicago summer during the pandemic was simple for those who could afford it: Buy a pool.
For the rest of us, the options are scarce and mostly illegal, like sneaking a swim in sometimes-dangerous waters where there are no lifeguards.
And that's increasingly worrying safety experts, who say the risk of drownings has rarely been higher as Chicago suffers through one of its hottest summers.
"There are a lot of factors coming together here that cause us to be concerned about the potential rise in drowning numbers," said Connie Harvey, national director of Aquatics Centennial Initiatives for the American Red Cross.
"There are fewer places to swim that are protected by lifeguards, but people are still going to go to the water," she said. "It's a hot summer, they're going to find places to swim."
B.J. Fisher, director of health and safety for the American Lifeguard Association, fears drownings could set a record this year, not just because beaches have been closed, but because of a buying binge for backyard pools.
"When you close a beach down and the temps hit triple digits, people are going to seek relief," Fisher said. "There are 10 million backyard pools in the United States. There are 309,000 public pools that people expected to be open this year. They're filled and treated and then they didn't open.
"Regretfully, these kids are out trying to seek some relief from the heat and this is among the easiest ways to do it," he added.
He expects the number of drowning victims worldwide to spike to nearly half a million this year, up from the 350,000 to 380,000 people who typically drown each year. And for every person who drowns, there are 10 more who nearly drown and suffer brain damage from loss of oxygen.
