National Weather Service

...2006 NATIONAL FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK...

NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUES ITS ANNUAL FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK CAMPAIGN WITH THE THEME OF... TURN AROUND... DONT DROWN.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

* IT ONLY TAKES TWO FEET OF MOVING WATER TO FLOAT MOST CARS…TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES.

* NEARLY HALF OF ALL FLASH FLOOD FATALITIES ARE VEHICLE RELATED.

* FLOOD DEATHS AFFECT ALL AGE GROUPS.

* WATER CAN RAPIDLY RISE SEVERAL FEET IN JUST MINUTES.

* FLASH FLOOD-PRODUCING RAINS CAN ALSO TRIGGER CATASTOPHIC MUD SLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS.

UNFORTUNATELY…TOO MANY PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE THE FORCE AND POWER OF WATER. AS A RESULT…MORE DEATHS OCCUR EACH YEAR FROM FLOODING THAN FROM ANY OTHER THUNDERSTORM RELATED HAZARD. MORE THAN HALF OF ALL FLOOD RELATED DEATHS RESULT FROM VEHICLES BEING SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD WATER. MANY OF THESE DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD PEOPLE SIMPLY FOLLOWED THE RULE... TURN AROUND... DONT DROWN.

THE FOLLOWING FLOOD SAFETY RULES CAN HELP SAVE YOUR LIFE.

* IF FLOODING OCCURS…MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. GET OUT OF AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING. THIS INCLUDES DIPS IN ROADS…LOW SPOTS…CANYONS…AND WASHES OR COULEES.

* AVOID AREAS THAT ARE ALREADY FLOODED…ESPECIALLY IF THE WATER IS FLOWING FAST. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOWING STREAMS.

* FLOODED ROADS OFTEN HAVE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE HIDDEN BY FLOODWATERS. NEVER DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. TURN AROUND... DONT DROWN!

* DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO PLAY NEAR HIGH WATER…STORM DRAINS OR DITCHES. HIDDEN DANGERS COULD LIE BENEATH THE WATER.

* DO NOT CAMP OR PARK YOUR VEHICLE ALONG STREAMS AND WASHES… PARTICULARLY DURING THREATENING CONDITIONS.

* BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE FLOOD DANGERS.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FLASH FLOODING AND THE TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN CAMPAIGN VISIT THE TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN WEB SITE...