(Undated)– Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa concludes today (Fri.) with an emphasis on the dangers of flash flooding.
Peter Rogers, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, says flash flooding can be especially dangerous and potentially deadly, especially for motorists…
“We say turn around, don’t drown. If you encounter water moving over a roadway just find a different way to get home. Most flood-related fatalities are associated with people that drive into the floodwaters and it’s just not worth taking the risk. Even if the water doesn’t appear to be very deep, you never know if the road is actually there or if it’s been compromised in some way, so we always recommend people find a different way to go. And then certainly at nighttime that can be made even more dangerous so you need to be aware of the potential for flooding and seek alternate ways to get to where you need to go in those situations.”
Officials say relatively speaking, the water doesn’t have to be all that deep to make your vehicle buoyant. Rogers adds it’s very difficult even in broad daylight to determine just how deep that water is.
