Flood safety

Turn around, don't drown

The National Weather Service created the "Turn Around, Don't Drown" campaign because the data demanded it. Over half of all flood-related drownings in the United States occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous floodwater. Most of these deaths are preventable.

The physics are simple and unforgiving. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock down an adult. Twelve inches of rushing water can carry away most passenger cars. Two feet can float an SUV or pickup truck. NWS is clear: it is never safe to drive or walk into floodwater.

The most dangerous element is what you cannot see. The road surface underneath may be eroded, collapsed, or entirely gone. A road that was solid yesterday may have a washout underneath a foot of brown water today. Drivers who "know the road" account for a disproportionate share of flood fatalities because familiarity creates false confidence.

The correct response to water flowing across a road is to turn around and find another route. This is true even if the water looks shallow, even if another car just made it through, and even if the detour adds an hour. The detour costs time. The crossing can cost a life.

What floodwater actually contains

Floodwater is not rainwater. CDC warns that it can contain raw sewage from overwhelmed systems, agricultural runoff including pesticides and fertilizers, industrial chemicals from flooded facilities, and household hazardous waste from garages and storage sheds. After Hurricane Harvey, testing found E. coli levels in Houston floodwater that were hundreds of times above safe limits.

Beyond contamination, physical hazards hide under the surface. Sharp metal, broken glass, nails from demolished structures, and fire ant colonies floating in mats are common. Downed electrical lines may be submerged and energized. Manhole covers may be displaced, creating open holes invisible under the water.

If you must travel on foot after a flood, avoid all standing water entirely. Use alternate routes on higher ground. If unavoidable contact occurs, wash exposed skin with soap and clean water as soon as possible. Any open wound that contacts floodwater should be cleaned, treated, and monitored for infection.

What to keep, what to throw out

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has clear guidance on food that has been in contact with floodwater. The sorting rule is based on packaging, not the food inside.

Discard: any food in paper, cardboard, plastic wrap, cellophane, or cloth packaging that contacted floodwater. This includes cereal boxes, flour bags, spice containers, anything with a screw-cap or snap lid, and anything not commercially sealed. Floodwater seeps through these materials and contaminates the food inside.

Keep (with treatment): undamaged, commercially sealed metal cans and glass jars with factory seals intact. Remove the labels (they can harbor bacteria), wash the outside with soap and water, then sanitize by soaking in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of clean water. Mark the sanitized containers so you know what is inside.

Discard regardless: any can that is dented, swollen, rusted, or has a compromised seal. Any container with a screw-top, snap lid, pull top, or crimped cap, even if it appears sealed. The risk of contamination through these closure types is too high to rely on visual inspection.