May is Flood Awareness Month
"Floods, especially flash floods," according to USA Today, "kill more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, wind storms or lightning." The article goes on to say that "About 60% of all flood deaths are people in vehicles that moving water sweeps away." Clearly, one way to improve your chances of surviving a flood is to avoid getting into your vehicle once the flooding starts, which may require planning and early action.
May is Flood Awareness Month in Hawaii, where PDC has its headquarters. It doesn't matter where you live, or your area does or does not have an "official" flood awareness period: Flooding can occur almost anywhere, and it can be a killer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that, from 1960 through 2005, there were 149 weather-related fatalities in the Hawaiian Islands. High surf is the most deadly weather condition in the state, resulting in 92 deaths. Independent of their effects on local surf, tropical cyclones were responsible for four deaths in the state in that same period, and wind storms—the only deadly weather phenomenon in Hawaii that involves no water—killed seven people.
NOAA classifies high surf hazards as "indirect weather impacts" because "the waves are often formed far from the island chain." By setting high surf apart in that way, NOAA also reports, "Flash floods are the leading cause of direct weather-related deaths in the State of Hawaii." If you do not live in a place where high surf is a concern, it is likely that flooding is also the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in your community, too.
You can choose to make May Flood Awareness Month in your household. The point of having an awareness month is to encourage you to become aware of the risks and to be prepared to act appropriately in a hazardous situation. If you and your family have an emergency plan that goes into effect when there is a high likelihood of flooding, you can almost certainly remain safe.
Research articles on the subject repeatedly state that the two greatest dangers during flood events are 1) getting in the car, and 2) being unprepared.
A high percentage of all flood-related fatalities involve automobiles, and the people in danger are usually the ones inside the cars. That is why the National Weather Service has made its flood-hazard motto, "Turn Around Don't Drown." An inch or less of water can cause your car to hydroplane, or skid out of control, and even an inch of water could be the shallow start of heavier flooding just ahead by a few minutes or a few yards of travel time/distance. Streets can become whitewater rapids in seconds, and they are dangerous long before they reach that stage. Twelve inches of flood water will lift 1500 pounds of a car's weight. This means that two feet of water is more than sufficient to raise and carry away a lightly loaded full-size car.
Don't risk it. "Turn Around Don't Drown."
In addition to the risks involved with driving during a flood, there are other, perhaps more obvious dangers. Swimming in flood water or drinking it or using it in your food, for instance, are all extremely dangerous. But the other great danger is that you and your family will find yourselves unprepared. You can get the information you need to understand the risks, develop a preparedness plan, and educate yourself and your loved ones about floods and flash floods on the PDC website.
Here are some web-based resources to help you improve your family's flood safety:
- Take time to read the NOAA Flood Safety Page.
- Get the near real-time facts on rainfall and flooding at NOAA Watch.
- Find information about floods and flash floods in Hawaii on PDC's website.
- Learn about flood advisories and warnings issued by the National Weather Service.
- Mountain City (Tennessee) Elementary, a high-ranking blue ribbon school, has a flood-deaths chart of the 20th Century on its website: 2,579 American died in just the 23 most significant flooding events.
