(Atlantic) Turn around and don’t drown is the message for this final day of National Severe Weather Awareness Week. Flooding is the topic on this final day.
Cass County Emergency Management Director Mike Kennon recalls several years ago when children played in the filthy water bubbling up onto the City streets of Atlantic during a heavy rain event.
Kennon advises residents to store emergency kits inside the home such as flashlights, candles, battery-operated radios, a three-day supply of bottled water and non-perishable food, and watch out for down power lines.
Mike Kennon says anyone interested in weather safety and education should check out the National Weather Service Website, weather.gov.
Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than any other thunderstorm-related hazard. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water. The next highest percentage of flood-related deaths is due to walking into or near floodwaters. People underestimate the force and power of water. Many deaths occur in cars swept downstream. Many of these drownings are preventable. Never drive around the barriers blocking a flooded road. The road may have collapsed under that water. A mere six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars, and just two feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks.
