Flood Watch and Winter Weather

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening until 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Be prepared for flooded roadways and/or icy conditions.

In the event of Flooding:

• Keep a battery-operated AM/FM radio tuned to a local station and follow emergency instructions. 
• If you're caught inside by rising waters, move to a higher floor. Take warm clothing, a flashlight, and portable radio with you. Wait for help. Do NOT try to swim to safety.  
• If it is save and you need to evacuate, take your Go Bag with you. 
• When outside, remember: floods are deceptive. Try to avoid flooded areas, and do not attempt to walk across flood water more than knee deep. Just six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.  
• Avoid flooded roadways. Parts of the road may already be washed out, and you could become stranded or trapped.  
• Never drive through flooded roadways. Just two feet of moving water can sweep a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) off the road.
• If your car stalls in a flooded area, abandon it as soon as possible. Floodwater can rise rapidly and sweep a car (and its occupants) away.

In the event of Icy Roads:

• Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
• Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
• Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
• Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
• Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
• Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
• Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
• Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

For more information, visit the Flooding Preparedness or Winter Weather Preparedness pages of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management's website.