While walking or hiking, flooding can pose a greater danger than many other things you can encounter during your outdoor adventure. It is estimated around 75 people per year are killed in flash floods. While walking in flood prone areas stay out of dry riverbeds. Even though they often offer the easiest path while walking if a few thousand gallons of water come crashing into then it will become an infinitely more difficult path.
Another important thing to remember while walking is that they are called flash floods for a reason. They can appear seemingly out of nowhere and they are ferocious while following their paths. What goes for not walking in dried riverbeds is ten times more important when camping is taken into account. Often dry riverbeds are inviting places to camp because the ground is fairly flat and level. But if a flash flooding occurs while you are asleep in a tent then the chance of survival is somewhere around zero.
If you do find yourself walking through an area experiencing severe flooding don't be shy in asking for help .Go to the nearest home or store and ask if you can take shelter there. Don't let convention stand in the way of safety. If it makes you feel better you can offer to help clean out their flooded basement when they start their flood damage cleanup project in the morning.
In general if you are walking through an area experiencing severe flooding you should not walk through any moving water. Water as little as six inches deep can be enough to sweep a two hundred pound man off of his feet. The thousands of gallons of water that create such incredible flood damage are strong enough to sweep a single hiker away.
Also use common sense when trying to walk through an area affected with flooding and in serious need of some water removal. Stay on high ground, avoid trenches and bridges, and try to stay on main roads as much as possible. Another major danger of trying to walk through an area suffering from extreme flooding is quick mud. As the rain saturates the area dirt can quickly become a muddy pit. For an unsuspecting walker this is a trap that can quickly turn deadly.
To avoid the quick mud, get a lengthy stick and check the firmness of the soil before each step. The way quick mud entraps people is that when they step in it their body weight pulls them deeper into the mud. The more a person struggles to get out of the mud the greater the suction becomes. This can quickly turn deadly if the person either sinks deeper into the mud or the water begins to rise. Following these tips and using your common sense you are much more likely to survive a stroll in flooding incidents.
Most hikers will have enough common sense to avoid the dangers listed above, but if you are new to the area or unsure of what to do a good idea is to check with the local rangers' station before departing on your hike. Also if there is even a mention of a flooding warning take heed and plan your trip for another time.
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