SWAW: Focus on Floods and Flash Floods

SWAW stands for Severe Weather Awareness Week. This is an annual event, and has been since 1975, to focus on the weather threats which come with severe weather season in Alabama. Many, many states hold these educational events in an effort to increase the awareness of people to the severe weather threats and also to the procedures to follow for safety. Thursday’s focus is on floods and flash floods.

-Brian-

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
604 AM CST THU FEB 20 2014

...THIS WEEK IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN ALABAMA...
...TODAY IS FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD AWARENESS DAY...

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN
ALABAMA BY GOVERNOR ROBERT BENTLEY.  DURING THIS SPECIAL WEEK,
ALABAMIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO LEARN AND OR REVIEW THE PROPER SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY FOR PROTECTING THEIR LIVES DURING SEVERE
WEATHER.

SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK CONTINUES TODAY WITH A CLOSER LOOK AT
FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD SAFETY.  ALABAMA RESIDENTS FALL VICTIM TO
THESE DANGEROUS PHENOMENA EACH YEAR. GENERAL RIVER FLOODING OCCURS
WHEN HEAVY RAINS AND RUNOFF FILL RIVER BASINS WITH TOO MUCH WATER
TOO QUICKLY. FLASH FLOODS OCCUR SUDDENLY AND USUALLY WITHIN HOURS
OF EXCESSIVE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL. THESE FLASH FLOODS CAN
BECOME RAGING TORRENTS, RIPPING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS, STREETS OR
VALLEYS, DESTROYING WHATEVER IS IN THEIR PATH.

WHEN CONDITIONS LOOK FAVORABLE FOR FLASH FLOODING, THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH, HIGHLIGHTING FLASH FLOOD
POTENTIAL IN AND AROUND THE SPECIFIED AREA, WHICH USUALLY COVERS
SEVERAL COUNTIES. THIS IS THE TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT YOUR PLAN
OF ACTION IF WATER BEGINS TO RISE OR A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS
ISSUED.

WHEN A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED FOR A SMALLER, MORE SPECIFIC
AREA, YOU MUST ACT QUICKLY AS FLASH FLOODS ARE AN IMMINENT THREAT TO
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.  YOU MAY ONLY HAVE SECONDS TO MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND.

HERE ARE SOME FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD SAFETY RULES...

DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINS, STAY AWAY FROM KNOWN FLOOD AREAS
SUCH AS STREAM BEDS, DRAINAGE DITCHES AND CULVERTS.  MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND IF FLOODING THREATENS YOUR AREA. HEAVY RAIN SHOULD BE A
SIGNAL TO ALERTING YOU TO THE POSSIBILITY OF DANGEROUS FLOOD
CONDITIONS. IF YOU LIVE OR WORK IN KNOWN FLOOD PRONE AREAS, REMAIN
ALERT DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN.

NEVER DRIVE YOUR CAR INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.  MOST FLASH FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR WHEN PEOPLE DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES INTO FLOOD WATERS.
JUST REMEMBER, TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN.  IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS,
ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND.  FLOOD WATER MAY RISE
VERY QUICKLY AND COULD COVER THE VEHICLE AND SWEEP IT AWAY.  BE
ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT AS IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE FLOOD
DANGERS.

STAY OUT OF FLOODED AREAS.  THE WATER MAY STILL BE RISING AND IT IS
USUALLY VERY SWIFT.  A RAPIDLY FLOWING STREAM OR DITCH CAN SWEEP YOU
OFF YOUR FEET OR SWEEP YOUR VEHICLE DOWNSTREAM.  CHILDREN ARE
ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY IN OR AROUND
FLOWING WATER.  WATER CAN ALSO RUN OFF STREETS AND PARKING LOTS VERY
RAPIDLY, CAUSING NATURAL AND MAN MADE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS TO OVERFLOW
WITH RUSHING FLOOD WATERS.  FLOOD WATERS CAN HIDE ROCKS, TREES,
TRASH AND OTHER TYPES OF DEBRIS THAT CAN BE DANGEROUS TO SOMEONE
IN THEIR PATH.  WATER IS A VERY POWERFUL FORCE AND SHOULD NEVER BE
UNDERESTIMATED.

ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, WE WILL STRESS THE BENEFITS OF NOAA
WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS AND INVESTIGATE THE EMERGENCY ALERT
SYSTEM. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV AND THEN CLICK ON CENTRAL ALABAMA, OR CONTACT JIM
STEFKOVICH, METEOROLOGIST-IN-CHARGE, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BIRMINGHAM, AT 205-664-3010, EXTENSION 222, OR JOHN DE BLOCK,
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST, AT EXTENSION 223.

$$

Category: Alabama's Weather, Severe Weather