JACKSON, MISS— This week is Spring Severe Weather Preparedness Week, and each day, News Mississippi is bringing you tips on how to prepare for the worst that Mississippi weather has to offer.
Areas of the Delta, low-lying areas, along poorly irrigated lakes, ditches and streams, and along the rivers of Mississippi, you’re more prone to flooding. The amount of rain Mississippi gets in the Spring–especially during heavy rains– can cause a big problem very quickly. The best way to stay a step ahead of the flooding is to be prepared.
Flash-flooding is more common when heavy rains are falling over a period of time in one area. Flash-flooding poses a threat because there’s little warning, and little time to react. This is especially dangerous if your’e on the road.
“We have streets that flood over,” says Butch Hammack, Director of Emergency Management for Madison County, “the best advice I can give for this is to not try to drive through the water when it goes over the road. You don’t know how deep it is, or if the road is washed out underneath.”
With flooding along the rivers, you do have a little more warning as the waters will take a while to crest.
“You can use sandbags to protect your home,” says Hammack, “but there is a downside. It is very labor intensive and takes a while. You have to find the bags, the sand, fill the bags and stack them. Then you have to worry about whether or not your’e stacking it high enough.”
Hammack says sandbags, if they’re stacked properly, do a good job of holding back the flood waters to protect your property. But they’re not lifesavers.
“If you’re told to evacuate, listen,” says Hammack.
News Mississippi will continue to provide weather preparedness tips during the week.
In case you missed it, here’s what you can do to prepare for a severe thunderstorm:
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