Flash Floods

“The only thing that stops God from sending another flood is that the first one was useless.”- Chamfort (French playwright)

When I picture death by weather, I can imagine tornadoes and lightning but the number-one weather killer is not so obvious: drowning in flash floods. The national 30-year average (1977-2006) for flood deaths is 99. That compares with a 30-year average of 61 deaths for lightning, 54 for tornadoes and 49 for hurricanes

A flash flood can occur quickly –within minutes of heavy rain, a dam/levee break, or ice jam break. A flash flood is also fast moving – you cannot out run it. Your best bet is to move upwards to high ground above the flood level. If the police or radio issues a flood warning – move immediately.

When driving remember the slogan, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” when you see water covering the road. Half of all drowning occur inside a car. Don’t park your car next to a river if you can avoid it. I had a friend attend a wedding and, upon leaving the church, discover that a nearby river had crested and the car of every guest was flooded.

When camping, pitch your tent away from rivers and streams on higher ground. You never know what will happen while you’re sleeping. Once, when the sky was crystal clear, I decided there was no reason to put the rain cover over my tent. I awoke with rain falling upon me. Another time my wife & I were surprised to find that rain or dew had frozen to the outside of our tent overnight. We had no idea it was that cold or wet.

Bottom Line

Water is a powerful force – eroding mountains along river valleys like the Grand Canyon; but it can also move in mysterious ways. I was once surprised while attending a party at a boat club on the Hudson River. The river reached an unusual high tide and I found the clubhouse completely surrounded by water when it was time to leave. We were able to keep our shoes dry by climbing over some planks.

www.floodsafety.com/
www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/ffbro.htm

P.S. A camping joke…

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend.

'Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.'

Watson replies, 'I see millions of stars.'

'What does that tell you?'

Watson ponders for a minute. 'Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?'

Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks.
'Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.'