Turn Around.... Don't Drown!

If you are one of the many people out there who watch television and radio weather reports or get information directly from the National Weather Service (NWS), you have heard this saying before.  If this saying is new to you, commit it to memory - it could save your life!

"Turn Around, Don't Drown" is the common safety tip for dealing with floods while traveling in a car or on foot.  If the roadway in front of you has water over it (even a small amount), turn around and find a different route.  The water could actually be concealing a huge gap in the roadway created by the moving flood water.  Also, you may have no clue as to how fast the water is moving, and it only takes a few inches or feet (depending the vehicle) of water to float a vehicle.  Which means you could very easily be swept downstream by the rapidly moving flood water.

Okay, so what if I'm not in a vehicle.  What do I do then?
First, I would recommend getting a NOAA Weather Radio that can alert you to the watches, warnings, and advisories that the NWS issues.  They come in portable and non-portable varieties.  These devices issue alerts for floods and flash floods along with information to keep safe.  Secondly, if a watch or advisory is issued for your area, be on the look out for rapidly rising water and take necessary precautions!  Get ready to evacuate if necessary and make arrangements in advance.  However, if a warning is issued and you live in a flood prone area, abandon your home immediately and get to higher ground.  Flash floods can develop in minutes or hours dues to excessive rainfall, a dam or levee failure, or the release of water behind an ice jam - so you may not have much time to evacuate before your escape route is cut off by flood water.

I also want to mention that you should never, ever walk, run, or swim through flood water.  It only takes 6" of fast-moving water to knock you off your feet and the current is often extremely fast.  Again, turn around, don't drown.  And please don't think that you can outrun a flash flood!  Many have sadly tried and have lost their lives because of it!  Just stop, turn around, and find another escape route.

Remember... Turn Around, Don't Drown!