A vehicle is submerged in floodwater on Freedom Drive in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. Tropical Storm Eta dumped blustery rain across north Florida after landfall Thursday morning north of the heavily populated Tampa Bay area, and then sped out into the Atlantic off of the neighboring coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
It’s the penultimate day of Severe Weather Preparedness Week 2022 in the Carolinas, and today’s theme also involves flooding. This time, however, it involves water on the roadways.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: turn around, don’t drown.
It may be a tale as old as time, but it’s still more relevant than ever. Vehicle-related incidents account for more than half of flooding deaths in any given year. On average, 58 flash-flood-related vehicle deaths occur every year in the U.S.; 71 vehicle-related flash-flooding fatalities were recorded in 2021 alone.
The most common cause of death in this category involves cars being swept downstream after driving through flooded roadways. Six inches is all it takes to knock a grown human off his/her feet. It only requires one foot of water to float a car. Two feet of water can sweep away large trucks and SUVs.
Severe flooding struck home multiple times last summer in the Carolinas. One of the more memorable events around the Metro occurred when a moisture-laden system dumped multiple inches of rain in the Queen City last August. A family of four attempted to drive through a flooded portion of Tryon Street and had to be rescued by first responders. All in the car, including a six-year-old, were rescued safely.
The worst flooding event of last year, and possibly of the past decade, struck the town of Canton just a week later. Portions of Haywood County (located 10 miles southwest of Asheville) received upwards of a foot of rain, inundating the city square for nearly a week. Multiple buildings and homes were swept away. Ultimately, six people lost their lives in the floods, all from Haywood County.
The vast majority of traffic-related flooding deaths can be prevented. If you come across water deep enough to obscure the road it’s flowing across, simply turn around and find another route. Your life is worth more than the five minutes you’d save crossing a flooded roadway.
