Driving During Flood Conditions

Several days of heavy rain combined with the severe storms Thursday have caused flooding across the area.

The Zanesville Fire Department said drivers can run into major problems during these conditions. Firefighter Greg Brocklehurst said there doesn’t need to be much water on the road for cars to get swept away.

“Even six inches of water is enough to stall most vehicles, most cars, Firefighter Greg Brocklehurst said. “As little as a foot of water can move a lot of vehicles depending on how swift it is, but that’s enough to move a vehicle.”

Even if you’re familiar with a road Brocklehurst said you shouldn’t drive through standing water because you usually can’t see through it to tell just how deep the water might be.

“No, unless it’s just over a parking lot or something like that, but when you have flooding going on, and like I said even if you’re familiar with the road, you may not know the depth of the water at that time because it will be murky from the mud runoff into the creek,” Brocklehurst said.

He added that the best thing to do when you see standing water is to turn around and head the other way. That way you’ll protect yourself and your car.