Spring Means High Water On Roadways

I was headed to a new trailhead this weekend and taking advantage of a little cloud cover before taking the kids to Monster Slam 2017 Saturday night at the fairgrounds.

With the straight bucket of water that got dumped on areas around Yakima and rivers and creeks already swollen, this was a good time to remind everyone not to be one of those overzealous folks. You know, the ones we watch in viral videos as they escape their cars as they go over the edge of a flooded bridge.

Maybe it is my ongoing fear of dying in some insanely stupid way on camera, but I chose not to be one of those folks. The car behind my four-wheel drive rig followed my lead and turned around, but I saw them recording video should I decide to cross.

Yep, disaster caught on video avoided.

This time, anyway.

Summer isn't even here yet and I have lots of fishing and hiking and camping to do.

But this event did give me a timely reminder for those venturing out this spring. Better safe than sorry. According to the National Weather Service, more deaths occur each year due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm-related hazard.

Further warnings come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which report that more than half of all flood-related drownings occur when vehicles are driven into hazardous flood water. Simply put, people underestimate the force and power of water. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away a small car, while two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles. It is NEVER safe to drive or walk into flood waters.