Heavy Rain and Flash Flood Risks and Tips

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – Slow-moving storms can create hazards rapidly; even in Wisconsin, we have the risk of rising water on both rivers and city streets.

The classic saying goes, “turn around don’t drown” – It’s catchy and made that way for a reason.

“If they are driving and they can turn around and go to a safe location, they should do that. We don’t want drivers going through any standing water.” said Rebecca Szymkowski, the Director of WisDOT Bureau of Highway Maintenance. “The reason for that is we don’t know how deep it is, if the road is washed out, or if there are any exposed wires in the water.”

While thankfully no one died in Wisconsin last year from a flood, in Illinois, three people died in a vehicle because of flood waters, and one other died in Iowa. A total of 145 people across the country just last year lost their lives in floods.

In total, Wisconsin has seen five major floods.

It’s not always from rushing rivers overflowing their banks. Flash floods in thunderstorms can do the same, just like in Chicago earlier this week. A storm sat over the city and dumped over 5″ of rain in 90 minutes. Cars were submerged and water rescues were underway.

So, what are we supposed to do when the storm hits, and we are cruising at 70 mph down the interstate? “Pull over, under a bridge, if there is no standing water there.” said Szymkowski. “Call the local police department or county highway department to report the flooded roads.”

Be sure to have those hazard lights on and get as far over as you can, to give others space with the reduced visibility. After you’ve let law enforcement know there is an undrivable area, they may close the road.

“What we try to do is leave the road open if we can, just so people don’t have to divert or go a different route. But really if our state patrol partners and our regional highway folks in our office determine that there is a safety need they will go ahead and close the highway.”

It happened last month just outside of Madison, as a strong thunderstorm down poured record amounts of rain over I-90, forcing them to close multiple lanes. It’s a process though and could take some time with all of the moving parts at work.

“They might need to close some ramps down, so people aren’t getting on the highway. If it’s a small segment of roadway we can put up some barricades at logical locations so that people can divert if they need to. If we do have a road closure we will place that on our 511 Wisconsin system.” explained Szymkowski.

This is a useful tool and app when traveling, as weather brings problems to the streets. It even has cameras on the highways so you can see the live road conditions for yourself.

“The law in Wisconsin is you should drive as fast as prudent. So if the conditions warrant driving slower you really should drive slower… otherwise, you can get a ticket for that. If someone sees a truck speeding by and they have concerns, they can call their local dispatch and report that.” says Szymkowski.

If you find yourself stuck in a vehicle with water rising around it, get out and get to higher ground immediately.