Recent flash flooding in Texas, New Mexico and North Carolina is highlighting the extreme dangers that these raging torrents of water can bring to communities in a matter of minutes.
The death toll after catastrophic flash floods in Central Texas on July 4, has risen to at least 120 and many people remain unaccounted for days later. Flash floods killed at least five people in North Carolina and three people in New Mexico.
“A flash flood comes on suddenly. If you don’t have any warning, you’re in major trouble,” said Gerry Dworkin, technical consultant for aquatics safety and water rescue at Lifesaving Resources, which provides training and consulting services.
Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet and carry them away, experts say. If you end up in the water in a flash flood, there is very little you can do to survive, Dworkin and other rescue experts said.
“It is very difficult to combat nature. Survival can be attributed to luck as much as your actions,” Chris Susi, president of the International Association of Water Rescue Professionals, said.
The volume, speed and depth of the water in these situations make it incredibly dangerous.
“There’s a difference between being caught in a flood that’s relatively still water and water that is just moving extremely fast,” said Alan Plastow, a captain on the Ohio Special Response Team.
And debris presents additional hazards. “It’s not just a drowning incident, it’s trauma as well,” Dworkin said.
What to do in a flash flood — and how to prepare
If you’re caught in a flash flood, Susi’s advice is to get on your back with your feet up in front of you to try to push away obstacles and back stroke toward the side of the river.
“The water will move slower toward the edges and you need to be trying to find a way out of the water,” Susi said. “You will not overpower the water, and obstacles can very easily pin you. Fast moving flood water is very difficult to swim in and focus should be to stay afloat and look for a way out.”
But, the priority should be avoidance — and to have plans in place for natural disasters, the experts say.
People “simply don’t know what to do, and so they have a reactive response instead of a planned response,” Plastow said.
Plastow recommended getting a weather radio, as cell service can be faulty and people may not receive the warnings from the National Weather Service on their phones. He recommended both a plug-in and battery-operated radio with extra batteries available.
People also need to understand the various levels of warnings. Here’s how the NWS defines its flood warnings:
- Flash flood warning: issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring
- Flood warning: issued when flooding is imminent or occurring
- Flood watch: issued when conditions are favorable for flooding
- Flood advisory: issued when flooding is not expected to be bad enough to issue a warning, but it may cause significant inconvenience and caution is recommended
“When it jumps from advisory to watch, you need to be taking action right away because things are about to happen,” Plastow said.
If a warning is issued, the primary advice from experts and federal agencies is to get to high ground as quickly as possible, but high ground may not be close by.
“If you get to a point where you don’t believe you can escape to high ground, get as high as you can first, and then dial 911,” Susi said. “Your goal should be to find a way to not end up in the water.”
If you are in your home or a building, move to a high floor, but ensure there is a way to signal to rescuers that you are there.
“If you’re going up into the attic, and there’s no way to signal to anybody that you’re up there, that’s going to be a dangerous place to be,” Dworkin said.
Plastow recommended having an axe or other non-electric cutting device in an attic in case you need to cut your way to the roof.
Having a “go-bag” prepared with weeks worth of water, meal replacement bars or MRE (meals ready to eat) kits, medications, changes of clothing, water-proof flashlights, batteries and life jackets “will go a long way toward helping people when disaster hits,” Plastow said. He also recommended having an infrared strobe that can alert search and rescue personnel to where you are.
Drivers: “Turn around, don’t drown”
If you’re in a car, “the important thing is, never attempt to cross a flooded roadway,” because you don’t know how deep the water is or what the integrity of the road is under the water, Dworkin said.
“Turn around, don’t drown,” is often the phrase officials repeat to remind the public to avoid flooded roads. About a foot of fast-moving water can carry away a small car and 18-24 inches can carry away most large SUVs, vans and trucks, the NWS warns.
If you are in danger of having a submerged vehicle, Dworkin said to open your window, take off your seat belt and get children and yourself out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
“If your vehicle is caught in moving water, the safest thing would be to get out of your vehicle, and the only avenue you’re going to have at that point is to get onto the roof of the vehicle and hopefully wait for a rescue,” he said, but he warned that can be very difficult.
The bottom line, Plastow said, is people need to be aware of their surroundings and be prepared before a flood hits.
“These so-called once-in-a-generation events are happening more and more often in recent years,” he said. “So one of the things we have to do is recalibrate how we predict the frequency of these events and base that on our our capability to respond.”