Mayor John Whitmire said there’s no “failsafe” solution, “other than everyone should be smart.” City officials cited homelessness, alcohol and mental health as potential contributing factors in the recent deaths.
Houston city officials appeared skeptical about the idea of implementing new safety protocols or infrastructure surrounding local bayous after five dead bodies were pulled from the waterways by police last week, even indicating that 2025 is on track to have fewer such deaths than years prior.
During a Houston City Council meeting on Wednesday, a Houston resident raised concerns about the bayou deaths, prompting several city council members to weigh in. They called the deaths tragic, but downplayed alarm. Council member Fred Flickinger called such deaths “a piece of society.”
“Obviously, any unnatural death, whether it be murder or suicide, is a tragedy,” Flickinger said. “Obviously, I’m grateful that it appears this year we’re going to have considerably less than we did last year. We’d all like that number to be zero.”…