A pickup won't make a flooded Texas crossing safe
TxDOT's warning includes pickups and SUVs. Planning a route to higher ground starts before water covers the road.
Six inches of fast-moving water can cause a driver to lose control of a pickup truck or SUV, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.[1]
That warning leaves little room for judging a flooded crossing from behind the windshield. TxDOT advises against driving, walking or swimming through floodwater, whether it is moving or still.[1] The six-inch figure describes a danger; it does not establish a safe depth for crossing.[1]
Water can conceal damaged pavement, branches, debris and power lines.[1] Even the road beneath a familiar crossing may be unsafe, and TxDOT warns that darkness makes flood hazards harder to see.[1] The agency's instruction is to turn around when a road is flooded and never drive around barriers at flooded roads or low-water crossings.[1]
A flood watch means conditions favor flooding, according to the National Weather Service.[2] Flooding is possible, but the watch does not mean it will happen.[2] Treat that distinction as time to prepare rather than a reason to dismiss the message.
A flash flood warning carries a more urgent meaning: flash flooding is imminent or already occurring.[2] For people in flood-prone areas, the Weather Service's instruction is to move immediately to higher ground.[2]
The rain at your own location may give an incomplete picture. The agency says flash floods can develop within minutes to hours and can affect places where rain is not falling.[2] A dry windshield, by itself, cannot tell a driver whether a crossing ahead is safe.[2]
A flood advisory also deserves attention. It means expected flooding falls below the threshold for a warning, but the Weather Service cautions that it can cause significant inconvenience and become dangerous if people do not exercise care.[2]
The Weather Service recommends identifying where water collects on the roads you regularly use and knowing the quickest way to higher ground.[3] For a household that depends on a low-water crossing, that means checking the usual route to work or school before a storm and identifying how to avoid the crossing if it floods.[3]
Make the plan specific enough to share. The agency recommends choosing someone to receive family status updates or arranging a safe meeting place.[3] Discuss those details before a flooded road separates family members.
Preparation also includes supplies at home. The Weather Service recommends at least three days of food, water and medicine, along with flashlights, batteries and a battery-powered radio.[3] Charge phones and portable radios, keep backup batteries available and gather essentials for family members and pets before an evacuation becomes necessary.[3]
For the driver, the useful question to settle in advance is where to go when the usual crossing cannot be used. Identify the route to higher ground while the road is still dry.[3]