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Driving into floodwaters, is it worth the risk?

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Bulletin No. 4
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SERIES
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
3800 N. Classen Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
(405) 530-8800
www.owrb.state.ok.us
Oklahoma Dept. of Emergency Management
P.O. Box 53365
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3365
(405) 521-2481
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa Field Office
State Agencies Bldg., Rm. 2
440 S. Houston
Tulsa, OK 74127
(918) 581-2924
Woodward Field Office
2411 Williams Ave., Ste. 116
Woodward, OK 73801
(580) 256-1014
Lawton Field Office
601 “C” Avenue, Ste. 101
P.O. Box 886
Lawton, OK 73502
(580) 248-7762
McAlester Field Office
321 S. 3rd Street, Ste. 5
McAlester, OK 74501
(918) 426-5435
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District
Floodplain Management Division
1645 S. 101st East Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74128
(918) 669-4919
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Region VI
800 N. Loop 288
Denton, TX 76209-3606
(940) 898-5399
www.fema.gov/nfip
FEDERAL
This bulletin was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States
Government. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the United
States Government or any agency thereof.
This publication was developed by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) and published
with funding from the Community Assistance Program under cooperative agreement No. EMT-
2005-GR-0010 between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, State of Oklahoma
Department of Civil Emergency Management, and OWRB. To obtain printed copies, please
contact the OWRB at 405-530-8800 or pubinfo@owrb.state.ok.us.
For More Information
Published by the
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? - Page 1
Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk?
Oklahoma is well-known for the awe-inspiring
tornados that frequent the state
each year. However, more deaths occur
in an average year due to flooding than
from any other natural hazard.
Specifically, almost one-half of all flash
flood fatalities occur in vehicles. While
most Oklahomans respect the
destructive potential of tornadic storms
and go to great lengths to shelter
themselves and their families from such
disasters, most tend to underestimate
the force and power of moving water.
Drivers with poor judgment
attempt to navigate their
vehicles through dangerous
floodwaters. They drive
around road barricades, into
flooded underpasses, or
through water flowing across
a road.
Tragic Results of Driving into Floodwaters
• April 26, 1998—One adult and two children died as their car was swept off a road and
down a tributary of Burris Creek in Pontotoc County.
• April 27, 1998—A man died as his car was swept off a low-water crossing over Fred
Creek in southwest Tulsa, a crossing with permanent warning signs.
• June 20, 1999—A person died when his vehicle was swept off the road while attempting
to cross a low-water bridge over a branch of Pryor Creek near Adair, Oklahoma.
• June 30, 1999—The driver of a pickup truck attempted to cross a marked low-water bridge
over Evansville Creek in Adair County east of Stilwell, Oklahoma. He died when his truck
was swept off the road into fast-moving waters. Fortunately, the passenger managed to
swim to safety.
• May 2000—A Tulsa woman was killed after the car she was driving stalled in floodwaters.
Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? - Page 2
Fact #1
It is often impossible to tell how deep the water is or if the
road is even there. Floodwaters often scour deep holes
and break huge chunks off paved surfaces.
Fact #2
Just a foot or two of moving water over the roadway can
provide the force to lift a car off
the road and put the lives of its
passengers in grave danger.
Fact #3
Accidents in floodwaters can
happen to the best of drivers.
Even if the car ahead of you
makes it through safely, you may
not.
Fact #4
The faster you drive through
water, the less contact your tires
have with the road, making it
easier to lose control of your
vehicle.
Fact #5
Limited visibility makes
floodwaters especially
treacherous at night, increasing
the vulnerability of the driver to
hidden dangers.
Fact #6
Drive with special care when it’s
raining. Turn back or choose an
alternate route if you encounter
moving water. Your life may
depend on it. Published by the
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? - Page 3
When there is moving water on the
roadway, your life may depend on
remembering these facts:

Description

Okla State Agency	Water Resources Board, Oklahoma
Okla Agency Code	'835'
Title	Driving into floodwaters, is it worth the risk?
Authors	Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
Publisher	Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Publication Date	2006-12-04
Publication type	Fact Sheet
Subject	Traffic safety. Floods--Safety measures.
Purpose	Oklahoma is well-known for the awe-inspiring tornados that frequent the state each year. However, more deaths occur in an average year due to flooding than from any other natural hazard. Specifically, almost one-half of all flash flood fatalities occur in vehicles. While most Oklahomans respect the destructive potential of tornadic storms and go to great lengths to shelter themselves and their families from such disasters, most tend to underestimate the force and power of moving water.
Series	Floodplain management information series ; bulletin no. 4
OkDocs Class#	W1700.7 F631m no.4 2006
Digital Format	PDF, Adobe Reader required
ODL electronic copy	Downloaded from agency website: http://www.owrb.ok.gov/hazard/fp/pdf_fp/bulletins/Bulletin_4.pdf
Rights and Permissions	This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders.
Language	English
Full text	Bulletin No. 4 FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SERIES Oklahoma Water Resources Board 3800 N. Classen Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73118 (405) 530-8800 www.owrb.state.ok.us Oklahoma Dept. of Emergency Management P.O. Box 53365 Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3365 (405) 521-2481 OKLAHOMA Tulsa Field Office State Agencies Bldg., Rm. 2 440 S. Houston Tulsa, OK 74127 (918) 581-2924 Woodward Field Office 2411 Williams Ave., Ste. 116 Woodward, OK 73801 (580) 256-1014 Lawton Field Office 601 “C” Avenue, Ste. 101 P.O. Box 886 Lawton, OK 73502 (580) 248-7762 McAlester Field Office 321 S. 3rd Street, Ste. 5 McAlester, OK 74501 (918) 426-5435 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District Floodplain Management Division 1645 S. 101st East Avenue Tulsa, OK 74128 (918) 669-4919 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VI 800 N. Loop 288 Denton, TX 76209-3606 (940) 898-5399 www.fema.gov/nfip FEDERAL This bulletin was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. This publication was developed by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) and published with funding from the Community Assistance Program under cooperative agreement No. EMT- 2005-GR-0010 between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, State of Oklahoma Department of Civil Emergency Management, and OWRB. To obtain printed copies, please contact the OWRB at 405-530-8800 or pubinfo@owrb.state.ok.us. For More Information Published by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? - Page 1 Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? Oklahoma is well-known for the awe-inspiring tornados that frequent the state each year. However, more deaths occur in an average year due to flooding than from any other natural hazard. Specifically, almost one-half of all flash flood fatalities occur in vehicles. While most Oklahomans respect the destructive potential of tornadic storms and go to great lengths to shelter themselves and their families from such disasters, most tend to underestimate the force and power of moving water. Drivers with poor judgment attempt to navigate their vehicles through dangerous floodwaters. They drive around road barricades, into flooded underpasses, or through water flowing across a road. Tragic Results of Driving into Floodwaters • April 26, 1998—One adult and two children died as their car was swept off a road and down a tributary of Burris Creek in Pontotoc County. • April 27, 1998—A man died as his car was swept off a low-water crossing over Fred Creek in southwest Tulsa, a crossing with permanent warning signs. • June 20, 1999—A person died when his vehicle was swept off the road while attempting to cross a low-water bridge over a branch of Pryor Creek near Adair, Oklahoma. • June 30, 1999—The driver of a pickup truck attempted to cross a marked low-water bridge over Evansville Creek in Adair County east of Stilwell, Oklahoma. He died when his truck was swept off the road into fast-moving waters. Fortunately, the passenger managed to swim to safety. • May 2000—A Tulsa woman was killed after the car she was driving stalled in floodwaters. Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? - Page 2 Fact #1 It is often impossible to tell how deep the water is or if the road is even there. Floodwaters often scour deep holes and break huge chunks off paved surfaces. Fact #2 Just a foot or two of moving water over the roadway can provide the force to lift a car off the road and put the lives of its passengers in grave danger. Fact #3 Accidents in floodwaters can happen to the best of drivers. Even if the car ahead of you makes it through safely, you may not. Fact #4 The faster you drive through water, the less contact your tires have with the road, making it easier to lose control of your vehicle. Fact #5 Limited visibility makes floodwaters especially treacherous at night, increasing the vulnerability of the driver to hidden dangers. Fact #6 Drive with special care when it’s raining. Turn back or choose an alternate route if you encounter moving water. Your life may depend on it. Published by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Driving into Floodwaters: Is it worth the risk? - Page 3 When there is moving water on the roadway, your life may depend on remembering these facts:
Date created	2013-12-19
Date modified	2013-12-19

Driving into floodwaters, is it worth the risk?

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