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2006 hurricane season is approaching. Now is the time to prepare
for possible severe weather. Your safety and the safety of your
family and others is most important, so develop a hurricane preparedness
plan before a hurricane strikes. While the following tips are
intended to help you protect your car, your first consideration
should always be to protect yourself and others.
As you prepare
for possible severe weather, we would like to remind you of
an often overlooked element of hurricane preparedness: driving
safely as you're evacuating or returning home after a storm.
According
to the National Hurricane Center, more than half of all hurricane
deaths in the last 30 years have resulted from inland flooding.
Of those deaths, one in four were people who drowned in their
cars.
Also, one
of the biggest dangers posed by inland flooding is the standing
water caused by the storm surge. Driving through standing water
can be dangerous and may cause damage your car's upholstery,
carpeting, and electrical system.
4
Corners Insurance offers these tips for staying safe:
- Fill
your vehicle with gasoline before the storm arrives.
- Prepare
an emergency kit stocked with items that can help you get
through a breakdown.
- If you're
evacuating an area and leaving a vehicle behind, be sure it's
not left in a low-lying area prone to flooding. Rising water
can seep in and damage your vehicle.
- When
you’re evacuating or returning following a storm, watch
for standing water in parking lots or on streets.
- Avoid
driving through standing water. The average car can be swept
off the road by as little as 12 inches of moving water. Find
an alternate route.
- If you
encounter a situation where you have no other reasonable alternative
than to drive through standing water, do your best to first
estimate the depth of the water. Know that the threat of the
roadway collapsing under water is real.
- Drive
slowly and steadily through the water.
- If your
vehicle stalls in the deep water, you may need to restart
the engine to make it to safety (know, however, that restarting
may cause irreparable damage to the engine).
- If you
can't restart your vehicle and you become trapped in rising
water, IMMEDIATELY ABANDON IT FOR HIGHER GROUND. If you are
unable to get out of the vehicle safely, call 911 or get the
attention of a passerby or someone standing on higher ground.
- Once
you and your vehicle are out of deep water and are in a safe
area, depress your brakes slowly several times to help dry
them out.
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