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.'

Don't drive through flood waters

“We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Almost half of all flash flood deaths happen inside vehicles because drivers think they can drive through “shallow” water. Just six inches of moving water is deep enough to knock people off their feet and for small cars to loose control. One foot of water can carry away the average car. Two feet of water will float most vehicles including SUVs and pickup trucks.

The video here shows how quickly moving water can destroy a road. Fast forward through the first minute. By minute two the road is collapsing. If the water level were higher and covered the road after the collapse, you’d have no idea that a piece of the road was gone if you tried to drive thorough it.

Flooded River Destroys Road In Minutes

Bottom Line

For more information on driving through flood waters, check out
www.cararticles.co.uk/uk-water-flood-driving-advice.html

If your car stalls or begins to drift while driving through water, do not stay in the car. Get out immediately. If your car becomes submerged you may have to wait for the car to fill with water before you’re able to open the car door. (Water is heavier than air and pushes against the car doors.) Don’t panic, hold your breath, and swim out.

If you are swept into moving floodwater, float on your back and try to point your feet downstream and protect your head from collisions.

Flash Foods

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does all the work"
- Mark Twain

According to ScienceDaily.com, "Flash floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and because of their unpredictability they’re the leading weather-related cause of death for Americans ... Unlike normal floods which arrive slowly and with more warning, flash floods are particularly dangerous because they happen so quickly, developing from thunderstorms that form in a matter of hours."

The ScienceDaily article goes on to show how researchers in Tel Aviv are using lightning strikes as a predictor of flash floods for "nowcasting".

FEMA describes flash floods this way, "flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and without any visible signs of rain. Flash floods often have a dangerous wall of roaring water that carries rocks, mud, and other debris and can sweep away most things in its path."

Bottom Line

Every state is at risk from this hazard. During a flash flood small streams, gullies, creeks, culverts, dry stream beds, or low-lying ground can become death traps. If you are outdoors when rain begins or you hear thunder, climb to high ground. Don't try to outrun a flood by running along the river bed! Don't walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. Escape to higher ground perpendicular to the stream bed.

http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/flood/