The Facts Everyone Should Know About Flooding

Many people weren't aware of how devastating the effects of flooding could be until Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina last week in what some people are calling "biblical devastation." The North Carolina's Climate Office states the region has suffered the worst-case scenario. The torrential rain from the monster category four hurricane caused massive damage to the mountain and foothill communities that will take the region years to recover from.

Hurricane Helene's Flooding in North Carolina Was Unprecedented

When Helene made landfall in Florida as a category one hurricane, many areas of North Carolina were already getting rain from the massive storm. Helene's outer bands were feeding the tropical moisture along a cold front that stalled. About an hour after Helene made landfall on Thursday night, Asheville Airport in North Carolina already had more than four inches of rain. Before Helene's outer bands moved into areas of Tennessee, Yancey County near Erwin in the Appalachian Mountains Cherokee Forest had already gotten nine inches of rain. The tropical force winds that covered more than 300 miles pushed the moisture into the mountains and worsened the situation. The devastation from the hurricane was so severe due to its massive size and formation in an area of high humidity in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. More than eight inches of rain fell in the Western North Carolina mountains between Wednesday and Friday. Avril Pinder, the county manager in Buncombe County, referred to Helene as the region's Hurricane Katrina.

Tropical Storm Allison Demonstrated Water's Powerful Force

The power of water should always be considered, as residents of southeastern Texas learned in the summer of 2001. The tropical wave didn't produce much rain until it reached the western coast of Mexico. An area of thunderstorms interacted with an upper low over South Texas, became a tropical depression, made landfall, and generated massive amounts of rain. Several factors impact the amount of rain from a tropical cyclone, including the movement or track of the storm, the time of day, storm size, wind shear, and the land features or topography. The time of day, the slow movement of the storm, and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico mainly contributed to the amount of rain that fell. The storm was caught between two high-pressure centers that caused a slow turn in the Gulf, where it sat until high pressure became more dominant and it moved away.

Massive amounts of rain fell over Southeast and East Texas due to Allison's slow movement. The highest rain amounts from Allison were more than 38 inches, ending on June 10th. No deaths due to flooding were reported. However, 22 people reportedly died during the heavy rainfall in Houston on June 8th and 9th. Nineteen of those deaths occurred due to walking or driving through flood waters, and this is the reason weather experts always tell people to "Turn around, don't drown." The National Weather Service always reminds people of the dangers of walking or driving through fast-moving water. It only takes six inches of flood waters to knock a person off their feet. Flooding is the second leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, right after heat-related fatalities. The fact is that many of these deaths are preventable if people don't drive or walk through flooded areas. Most vehicles lose contact with the road's surface in six inches of water. A car can be swept away in 12 to 18 inches of water.