Here’s what to do if your car gets caught in floodwaters
With more rain expected to fall on San Luis Obispo County, Cal Fire is advising people to avoid driving when it’s storming and to heed all flood warnings and road closure signs.
The agency also has advice on what to do if you find yourself trapped in floodwaters.
On Jan. 9, Cal Fire responded to three swift-water vehicle rescues — the death in Avila Beach, the missing child in San Miguel and the rescue in Morro Bay — Cal Fire spokesperson Toni Davis told The Tribune.
Davis advised not to drive in heavy rain or flooded roadways, but she encouraged drivers to put a life jacket in their car just in case. Especially avoid driving in running water, and respect road closure signs, she said.
“People underestimate the power of water. It may look shallow, it may look like it’s moving relatively slowly, but the amount of water that is moving at certain times, it is extremely powerful,” Cal Fire Captain Derek McTiernan told The Tribune.
What to do if your car gets stuck on a flooded road
If you find yourself on a flooded roadway, McTiernan said the first thing you should do is attempt to back out. If you can do that successfully, turn around and drive to safety.
If your car does get stuck in water, roll down all the windows and take off your seatbelt as quickly as possible before the water shorts out the car’s electronics, McTiernan said.
“That way it allows you to get out of the vehicle if needed, but it also allows us as rescuers to get inside the vehicle,” he said.
If the water is shallow enough, stay inside the vehicle and wait for rescuers to come, McTiernan said. If the water is rising to the point that you feel your life is in danger, try to maneuver yourself out the window and pull yourself onto the vehicle’s roof.
“Some people may not be able to do that. It’s not an easy task. But if you were in a life-threatening situation where you feel that water is rising inside the vehicle, you need to get to the high point of the vehicle, which would be the roof.”
McTiernan said drivers should not open the door and and get into the water “because as soon as you step out or you get into that water, your feet are going to be swept away. You’re going to get pulled into that flow of water that could push you downstream.”
He said rescuers have ways to break windows, but he emphasized that rolling windows down as quickly as possible is the best practice.
McTiernan also reemphasized that people should avoid driving during storm conditions and heed flood warnings and road closure signs.
“(The county) is putting up road signs as fast as they can, most of these (flooded) areas are going to have a sign at this point, but if there wasn’t water flowing there on Monday and by Friday, there’s water flowing there and there’s no sign it’s because they haven’t made it out there to put up a sign,” he said. “Use your best judgment and if there’s water flowing over the roadway, avoid that direction of travel. Turn around.”
If you do get swept away by floodwaters, position your feet downstream and float on your back. Swim sideways to the current and try to reach the shore.
This story was originally published January 13, 2023 at 12:18 PM.
