CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Communities across western Massachusetts are experiencing intense flash flooding following the recent string of heavy rain over the past week.
First and foremost, you should never attempt to drive through a flooded roadway even if it doesn’t look like a lot of water, because in a matter of seconds you can completely lose control of your car.
If you find yourself in your car during flash flood, avoid large puddles of ground on the water.
Just six inches of water can stall most cars, even larger vehicles like an SUV or a truck. A flash flood can quickly remove your ability to control the car. And two feet of water is enough to sweep your car off the road completely.
“If you try to drive through that, you don’t know how deep that is. Sometimes the road is washed out and you can end up falling down into something that’s even deeper than you. Your car can get overwhelmed by the water, the engine stops working, and you get stuck there. The worst-case scenario is if that water is rushing, it can move your car and take you with it,” says 22News Meteorologist, Adam Strzempko.
If you do have to drive during intense weather conditions you want to make sure
you are driving cautiously, you want to make sure to have your headlights on so that other drivers can see you and of course you want to make sure that your wipers are working properly.
Melissa Torres is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2021. Follow Melissa on X @melissatorrestv and view her bio to see more of her work.
