Severe Weather Awareness Week: Flood Safety

Despite all of the attention gearing towards large hail, lightning, extreme wind, and even tornadoes, flooding happens to be one of the more dangerous elements that severe thunderstorms can produce. When you look at each type of severe weather independently, flooding happens to cause more fatalities than other related hazards.

One of the contributing factors is our under estimate of how powerful water can be. It only takes about 6 inches of moving water to knock over an average sized adult. Only 24 inches of rushing water can pick up a car and move it. Very small amounts of water can cause hazards that will generate mud slides, erode solid rock, shape shift rivers, and even destroy houses. Unfortunately, most deaths when it comes to flooding are those that are caught in their cars and drown.

However, there are some very simple tips you can use in the event of flooding or if flooding is forecasted to threaten your area. When meteorologists at that National Weather Service (NWS) foresee a large area to be affected by flooding, a FLOOD WATCH would be posted.

When flooding conditions are expected to occur or are imminent, a FLOOD or FLASH FLOOD WARNING will be posted for specific areas, namely certain roads, streams, rivers, or urban locations.

Best advice is to stay off the roads and especially away from those areas that are flooded. However, in the event that you are driving and you see a road covered with water, NEVER drive though it. You never know how deep that water is and as explained above, it does not take a lot of water to pick up your car. Make sure to steer away from a water covered road and take an alternate route to your destination.

The NWS says: "Turn Around, Dont Drown." Simple words of advice that can save your life. Additionally, if you are aware that an area is expecting to have flooding conditions, do not park your car near a stream, or low elevation (dip) where water can collect easily. Finally, seek higher ground in the event of flooding.

I hope these tips will help you the next time flooding conditions are expected for your area. Keep it safe and here at KAGS-HD we will always keep you ahead of the changing weather elements.

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