Health Leader, Driving in the Rain

STORY BY

Karen Krakower Kaplan

According to the Red Cross, the NOAA, and FEMA, vehicles are involved in half of all flood-related deaths.

One simple physics equation is all you need to remind yourself of how dangerous it is to attempt to drive or stay with your car in high water:

When you are submerged deeply enough, the weight of the volume of water that you’re displacing is equal to your own weight. You become buoyant.

So, when the weight of the water that is displaced by the submerged part of your car becomes equal to the weight of your car, your CAR becomes buoyant.

Most cars will float in two feet of water.

Parts I & II

Hurricane & Flood Handbook

Noah's Ark:
When Your House
Becomes A House Boat

Resources

Hurricane Evacuation Map
(Brazoria / Galveston / Harris County)

Hurricane Evacuation Contraflow Plan
(Houston)

What to do while driving

If you are driving through forceful winds or hail, get to a covered area, such as a parking garage if possible.
If you are driving through water: assume that at some point during your journey, there will be impassable water. Consider pulling off to a gas station or parking lot that sits higher than the street until the rains slow or stop.
If you are driving through streets flooded to curb height, keep your speed low and your foot on the accelerator to avoid water back-flowing into the exhaust pipe, which will stall you. If you drive a truck or SUV, curb your confidence and slow down so that you do not displace enough water to flood smaller cars. Then pull into a higher area off the street as soon as possible.
If you approach an area that looks too deep, it probably is. Do NOT attempt to cross it. Look up the road so that you do not have to stop at the impasse and attempt to turn around which not only raises your chance of flooding, but also creates traffic chaos.
If you do find yourself in increasingly deeper water, immediately roll down your window in case you need to swim out of it. If your windows are electric, they will fail if the car stalls.
If your car stalls in high water, abandon the car immediately. Two feet of water can sweep a car or SUV away. Climb to higher ground.

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Last Updated: 6-20-2007

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), the most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, is home to schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing and public health. UTHealth educates more healthcare professionals than any health-related institution in the State of Texas and features the nation’s seventh-largest medical school. It also includes a psychiatric hospital and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university’s primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. Founded in 1972, UTHealth’s 10,000-plus faculty, staff, students and residents are committed to delivering innovative solutions that create the best hope for a healthier future.

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Health Tip:

Simple Ways to Help
Young and Old Eyes

May is Healthy Vision Month and it is imperative to take care of eyes whether they’re young or old.

Children should have their vision checked by age 6, even if there aren’t any signs of eye problems. Healthy eyes and vision are very important to a child’s development. Finding and treating eye problems early on can save a child’s sight. Two common eye problems in children are:

Lazy eye (amblyopia)
Crossed eyes (strabismus)

Both of these eye problems can be treated if they are found early.

Here are ways to help your child develop vision skills:

Read to your child. As you read, let your child see what you are reading.
Play with your child using a chalkboard, finger paints, or different shaped blocks.
Take your child to the playground for safe fun on the jungle gym and balance beam.
Play catch with your child.

Don’t let poor vision put elders at risk. Leave a three-foot, clear path through each room of their house. Outline edges of steps, coffee tables, doorways and bathtubs with colored tape to contrast with surrounding areas. Install lights along outdoor pathways and keep foyers well lit to avoid having to enter dark areas. Replace switch plates with colors that contrast with walls, or outline them with tape of contrasting colors. It is also always smart to use nightlights during the night.