Flash Flooding

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Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve heard the saying “turn around don’t drown.” Yet, on average 82 people a year do not heed this warning. In 2015 alone, 155 people died from flood related causes in the US. This number was high enough to make flooding America’s leading nature-related killer in 2015. According to the Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services, 112 of the 155 flooding deaths occurred in relation to a vehicle. In comparison, only 77 people died at the hands of lightning, hurricanes and tornadoes combined. What makes flooding so dangerous?

 

It takes an incredibly small amount of moving water to possess enough force to move a vehicle. Think about it: We’ve all been to a water or theme park at some point or another. Water slides are coated in water, not only for comfort, but to increase the speed at which you fall from the slope. The famous “log rides” are also propelled by only a few feet of water. Some of these rides do not have tracks at all. They are solely controlled by the flow of water. In a flooded roadway, your car can be similarly propelled. While it only takes about six inches of water to influence the movement of your vehicle, it takes as little as two feet of water to pick up your vehicle and carry it away.

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Because we live in West Texas, a typically dry, flat area with an above-ground drainage system, flooding and flash flooding are distinct possibilities any time it rains. Do not attempt to cross water covered roadways. Be aware of low water crossings on your typical routes. For example, part of the Marsha Sharp Freeway in Lubbock was built in place of railroad tracks. The freeway was only minimally raised in elevation. Around campus, the Texas Tech Parkway exit can become impassible during a thunderstorm. Know your surroundings. If you must travel in these situations, have alternative routes in place. In an unfamiliar location, it is better to be safe than sorry and to remember: turn around, don’t drown, when the weather turns wild in west Texas!

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