"Turn Around, Don't Drown" - Flood Safety Awareness Week continues

Vehicles ignore the threat of rushing water across a roadway. Photo courtesy MemphisWeather.net.

TODAY'S THEME IS "TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN" OR TADD. TADD IS AN
EFFORT TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE DANGERS OF DRIVING OVER FLOODED
ROADS OR WALKING IN FLOODED AREAS. TADD SIGNS ARE BEING PLACED AHEAD
OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHERE FLASH FLOODS OCCUR.

TOO MANY PEOPLE DIE DUE TO MISJUDGING THE POWER OF MOVING WATER OR
THEIR ABILITY TO NAVIGATE FLOODED AREAS. FLOODING CAN HAPPEN RAPIDLY
DUE TO ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM RAINS OR SLOWLY DUE TO RAINFALL EVENTS
THAT IMPACT A LARGE AREA. IN ADDITION... IT ONLY TAKES SIX INCHES OF
WATER FOR A VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTACT WITH THE ROAD SURFACE AND MOST
VEHICLES CAN BE SWEPT AWAY IN 18 TO 24 INCHES OF WATER. SADLY... MANY
DEATHS IN THE MID-SOUTH COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY SIMPLY TURNING
AROUND. A CANCELED... DELAYED OR REROUTED TRIP IS WORTH THE TIME AND
EFFORT.

SOME ITEMS TO CONSIDER TO INCREASE YOUR FLOOD SAFETY...

- TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN! CANCEL... DELAY OR REROUTE A TRIP IF IT
IS ON FLOODED ROADS.
- FLOODED ROADS MAY BE TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY A "TURN AROUND DONT
DROWN" SIGN OR A BARRIER... DO NOT DRIVE AROUND THE BARRIERS.
- GET OR STAY ON HIGHER GROUND... AVOID LOW SPOTS IN THE ROAD
OR OTHERWISE.
- FLOODED ROAD MAY HAVE HIDDEN DANGERS... SUCH AS WASHED OUT
ROAD BEDS OR UNDERWATER OBSTRUCTIONS.
- KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM FLOODED AREAS OR AREAS OF FAST MOVING
WATER.
- DONT CAMP NEAR THE RIVER IF THERE IS A FLASH FLOOD THREAT.
- FLASH FLOODING CAN HAPPEN AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
FLOOD DANGERS.
- FLASH FLOODS OCCUR IN THE MID-SOUTH.

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN IS A JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE AND THE FEDERAL ALLIANCE FOR SAFE HOMES (FLASH).

THE INFORMATION ABOUT TADD CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/SRH/TADD

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AHPS AND FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK
IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FLOODSAFETY/


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