Overconfidence

"When it comes to old-fashioned risks like weather, we often overestimate ourselves" - The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley

In a new book called The Unthinkable, the author looks at human response to disasters and emergencies. She points out that people often make the same mistake that FEMA did, we focus on preparing for the "big" but rare events like terrorism or nuclear attack and overlook the common but deadly surprises that mother nature is prepared to send our way.

Consider lightning. The National Weather Service estimates that 100,000 thunderstorms occur in the United States each year. One hundred bolts hit the earth every second and in many years these bolts kill more people world wide than any other kind of weather including hurricanes and tornadoes. In the U.S. 1318 deaths were attributed to lightning from 1980 through 1995, an average of 82 per year. Lightning can occur anywhere and sometimes with little warning; lightning has struck 10 miles away from the rain of a thunderstorm.

Consider hurricanes. Unlike lightning, no one living near a coast should be surprised or unprepared when a hurricane hits your neighborhood. However did you know that the common cause of hurricane death is drowning; some trapped in the attic of their house but many drowned in their own cars trapped by flood waters. As a child growing up in San Antonio, Texas, I recall each rain season, seeing TV news of flood water pouring across roads like a mini river. And every year one or more cars would try to cross this shallow river and be carried off by the flood.

A few weeks ago in Ossining, NY, a torrential rain came down while my wife and I were shopping. We watched as a river of rain water began pouring down the street. The rain was too much for the storm drains and water gushed out instead of going in. Manhole covers in busy intersections were popped off by geysers. To our surprise cars tried to speed through as if everything was normal. They had no clue of the hidden gaping manholes waiting to grab a tire. We saw one manhole cover hit by a car and the cover went flying - luckily no one was hit by it.

Bottom Line
Take storms seriously - both the lightning and heavy rain. Do not drive through any water that you can not see the ground through. There could be hidden potholes or erosion that will swallow your car. Water that reaches the bottom of your car door could flood your engine or make the car buoyant enough to float away in heavy current.