Floods Tips

What causes a flash flood

America's number one weather-related killer is the flash flood. Flash floods now cause an average death toll of over 200 persons and property danmage of over one billion dollars a year. Across the nation flash floods nost often strike at night, with the peak month being July.

One of the biggest causes of flash flooding is the afternoon or late night thunderstorms with torrential rains that dump volumes of water on the earth so fast that the water cannot be absorbed and has no place to go. Dry creek beds, storm drains, gutters , low-laying road beds become death traps as the channeled water gushes rapidly down these natural and man-made channels. As the water races along, it picks up dead tree limbs, rocks, boulders, cars and anything that is in its path. One of the unique things about a flash flood is that it can be over as soon as it begins.

In the desert, the capping on the soil is so hard that the water, coming so hard and fast from the rains, hasn't a chance to soak in, so it runs off, filling arroyos and dry river beds with water so fast that many people are taken by surprise and many have to be rescued from cars or treetops.

Having first hand experience with flash floods, I have learned to stay away from low-laying areas, creeks, dry arroyos, dry creek and river beds and not drive thru what seems like shallow water, and stay out of underpasses in flood prone areas. You can actually hear the flood coming as it sounds like a freight train grinding its way on the track. This is caused by sand rocks and boulders that the water picks up and moves with the great volume of water. The water, when coming at you looks like a wall, advancing at great speeds. My advice to you is...MOVE TO HIGH GROUND NOW!!!

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