Director of Public Safety Cautions
Missouri Travelers during Flooding
JEFFERSON CITY, May 8, 2007- The Missouri Department
of Public Safety and the Missouri State Highway Patrol encourages
motorists to travel cautiously during the current statewide flooding
conditions.
“Motorists should plan their trips carefully especially
in areas, which are or could be
affected by high water. This message is especially important as colleges
and universities
hold graduation ceremonies over the weekend,” said Director
of Public Safety Mark James.
Motorists are urged to check with the Missouri Department
of Transportation’s updated road conditions website: www.modot.mo.gov
then click on the Travel Information on the right side menu.
In Northwest Missouri the Missouri State Water Patrol
and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are restricting all access to
Big Lake (Holt County) due to flooding conditions. Big Lake residents
will be allowed access once the flooding recedes. Overnight the Water
Patrol conducted water rescues for 12 residents.
At this time there are numerous state routes, county
roads and streets closed due to flooding in Northwest Missouri and
later this week in Central Missouri. State officials remind motorists
not to drive on roads with standing water. It takes less than 6 inches
of rapidly running water to sweep a vehicle off the road into a ditch
or down stream.
Motorists are also encouraged to drive defensively especially
at night when it is harder to see rising water levels or water over
a road and to heed state, county or local barricades
set up to block roads because of flooding conditions.
Tips To Keep Drivers Safe
• A flood watch means there has been enough rainfall to cause
a flood.
• A flood warning means there will be flooding.
• A flash flood poses a major threat to motorists because the
water can rise quickly without warning. At night, motorists should
avoid low-water crossings during and following rainstorms.
Points to Remember About Flooding
• Six inches of fast moving water can carry a car away.
• If your car stalls in water, abandon your car immediately
BUT be careful you don’t accidentally step into a flooded ditch
along the road.
• There is no guarantee you will be able to drive across the
road. Water over the road might look like only a foot or two; however
it might be more like five or six feet deep.
• Don’t ignore barricades - your life, the lives of your
passengers or your family depends on you obeying the closed road signs.