FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2019
Stormy Weather Can Be Unpredictable During Summer
Harris County Offers Safety Tips
(Houston, TX) – High humidity and heat in our region are the main components for severe weather during the summer. The National Weather Service (NWS) states that lightning and flash floods are the largest threats during most thunderstorms. The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) offers the following safety tips to stay safe this summer.
During thunder and lightning
- When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter.
- Lightning can cause fatal electric currents along the ground surface over 100 feet away. If shelter is not accessible, crouch low, with as little of your body touching the ground as possible.
- It is important to understand and follow the 30-30 rule. After you see lightning strike, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Stop all outdoor activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
- Avoid concrete floors and walls. Lightning can travel through metal wires or bars in concrete surfaces.
- Do not seek shelter under a tree or near tall objects. Lightning will attempt to strike the tallest point in an area.
- Do not go near any bodies of water, such as a pond, lake, swimming pool or beach.
During a flash flood
- Monitor weather conditions constantly.
- If flooding begins in your area, seek higher ground.
- Always be aware that high floodwaters may hide severely damaged roadbed. NEVER drive through flooded roadways. Remember that it takes only two feet of water to carry away a vehicle, including pickups and SUVs.
- NEVER attempt to walk through flowing streams. It only takes six inches of rushing water to knock an adult off their feet.
- If your vehicle stalls, get out immediately and seek higher ground.
- Be extra cautious at night, when it is harder to see possible flood dangers.
- TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN.
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