GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Severe Weather Awareness Week is coming to a close and we want to focus on flooding. It’s a factor of severe weather we see through each season in West Michigan. "Turn around, don’t drown,"... it’s a saying we always hear when flooding becomes a part of our forecast and we say it for good reason. It only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock you over and 1 foot of moving water to sweep away a small car.
When you see a flood watch it means flooding is possible. A flood warning means you need to move to higher ground and take action. In Michigan, we can see flooding from snow melt, dam breaks, ice jams plus coastal, river and flash flooding. This is an example of how we monitor river levels and look at things like hydrographs to check any flooding concerns that can be costly as 1 foot of flood water can cause 25 thousand dollars of damage.
In order to stay safe during flooding you want to avoid flood-prone areas, truly turn around don’t drown as you shouldn’t attempt to drive over flooded roads and bridges. Don’t wade across flooded streams or have kids playing near storm drains and flooded areas as you never know what truly is in that water or the strength that moving water can have. All good things to remember as flood waters can be very dangerous and damaging.
