Severe Weather and Flood Safety Week: Flood safety

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - March 2 through March 8 is ‘Severe Weather and Flood Safety Week’ across the state of South Carolina.

Each day of this week, we will be covering various Severe Weather Topics to better prepare you and your family for any weather situation that may arise this spring.

Our last topic of the week is “Flash Flooding- Flood Safety.” This is the number one cause of storm-related deaths across the country.

If the moving current is strong enough, less than six inches of stand water can move a person. Additionally, it only takes about one foot of moving water to move a car.

This is why you can constantly hear meteorologists saying, “Turn around, don’t drown.” Here in the Coastal Empire, there are a few ways flooding can happen.

Whether that comes from thunderstorms with excessive rainfall or from tropical systems and rivers. You’ll likely be able to figure out where the worst flooding occurs around your house and neighborhood to know what spots to watch out for. Unless you live closer to some of our rivers.

This is where we typically see the worst flooding occur based on the previous rainfall upstream. As that water moves through, water levels can fluctuate rapidly for many days at a time.

Luckily, this data is updated frequently during these events. Plus, you can get any info on current watches and warnings from both the WTOC weather app and NOAA Weather Radios. You just want to make sure you have a plan in place.

Remember, you always want to have a way to get to higher ground and have an alternate route planned out. Never cross deep water, especially if it has a current or you cannot see the bottom.