September 2020 has been extremely wet so far in Central Texas. More than five inches of rain has been recorded in the last 48 hours at Waco Regional Airport, being the wettest first 3 days of September on record.
The heavy rain resulted in flash flooding in Lampasas County on the morning of September 3rd. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for the area as video surfaced of roads becoming impassable.
Flash flooding is when water rapidly rises in an area, caused by intense rainfall in a short amount of time, or from a dam or levee failure. Flash floods can occur in as little as a few minutes to a few hours.
From 2009 to 2018, the National Weather Service estimated 95 people died each year from flash floods. Vehicles are no match against the powerful force of rising water. It only takes six inches of water to stall most cars, and one foot to float small vehicles.
If you find yourself trapped in flood waters inside a vehicle, the American Safety Council recommends to not panic and follow these tips. Get yourself out of the vehicle first before calling 911.
Roll down or break a window, climb out and swim with the flow of the water until you can get to higher ground. Do not use your vehicle as a flotation device.
