[MTHOLLYSVRWX] Public Information Statement : PHI@ 3/19/2013 11:57:25 AM

[svrwx at wx3i.net]

NOUS41 KPHI 191555
PNSPHI
DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-
060>062-067>071-200000-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1154 AM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DECLARED MARCH 18 THROUGH MARCH 22 
AS FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN 
MOUNT HOLLY WILL FEATURE A DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL TOPIC EACH DAY DURING 
THE AWARENESS WEEK.

TODAY'S TOPIC: TYPES OF FLOODS.

IT FLOODS SOMEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ITS TERRITORIES NEARLY EVERY DAY
OF THE YEAR. FLOODING CAUSES MORE DAMAGE IN THE UNITED STATES THAN 
ANY OTHER WEATHER RELATED EVENT, WITH AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT BILLION 
DOLLARS A YEAR AND AN AVERAGE OF NINETY FIVE FATALITIES PER YEAR IN 
THE PAST THIRTY YEARS. FLOODING CAN OCCUR IN ANY OF THE FIFTY STATES 
OR U.S. TERRITORIES AT ANYTIME OF THE YEAR, SOMETIMES VERY QUICKLY. 
BEING PREPARED IN ADVANCE AND KNOWING A FEW FLOOD SAFETY TIPS WILL 
HELP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SURVIVE A FLOOD IF IT HAPPENS IN YOUR AREA.

A FLOOD IS DEFINED AS ANY HIGH FLOW, OVERFLOW, OR INUNDATION BY 
WATER WHICH CAUSES OR THREATENS DAMAGE. THIS USUALLY OCCURS WITH 
PROLONGED RAINFALL OVER SEVERAL DAYS, INTENSE RAINFALL OVER A SHORT 
PERIOD OF TIME, OR WHEN AN ICE OR DEBRIS JAM CAUSES A RIVER OR 
STREAM TO OVERFLOW AND FLOOD THE SURROUNDING AREA. OTHER FACTORS 
THAT CAN CAUSE OR WORSEN FLOODING ARE MELTING SNOW IN THE WINTER AND 
EARLY SPRING, THUNDERSTORMS IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER, AND TROPICAL 
CYCLONES IN THE SUMMER AND FALL.

FLASH FLOODING...

A FLASH FLOOD IS DEFINED AS A RAPID AND EXTREME FLOW OF HIGH WATER 
INTO A NORMALLY DRY AREA, OR A RAPID WATER LEVEL RISE IN A STREAM OR 
CREEK ABOVE A PREDETERMINED FLOOD LEVEL. ONGOING FLOODING CAN 
INTENSIFY TO FLASH FLOODING IN CASES WHERE INTENSE RAINFALL RESULTS 
IN A RAPID SURGE OF RISING FLOOD WATERS. COMMONLY IT OCCURS WITHIN 
SIX HOURS OF A HEAVY RAIN EVENT. HOWEVER FLASH FLOODS CAN ALSO OCCUR 
WITHIN HOURS OR EVEN MINUTES IF A DAM OR LEVEE FAILS, FOLLOWING A 
SUDDEN RELEASE OF WATER HELD BY AN ICE OR DEBRIS JAM, OR RAPID 
PONDING OF WATER CAUSED BY TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. FLASH FLOODS CAN 
EVEN OCCUR IN AREAS AWAY FROM THE CAUSATIVE EVENT. FOR EXAMPLE, AN 
OTHERWISE DRY ARROYO OR CANYON CAN FILL QUICKLY FROM AN UPSTREAM 
RAIN EVENT. FLASH FLOODS CAN CATCH PEOPLE OFF GUARD AND UNPREPARED. 
YOU MAY ONLY HAVE A FEW MINUTES WARNING THAT THESE DEADLY, SUDDEN 
FLOODS ARE COMING. IF YOU LIVE IN AREAS PRONE TO FLASH FLOODS PLAN 
NOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND PROPERTY.

RIVER FLOODING...

WITH RIVER FLOODING, THE NWS USES DIFFERENT CATEGORIES TO CONVEY THE 
EXPECTED FLOOD SEVERITY. THESE CATEGORIES ARE: MINOR FLOODING, 
MODERATE FLOODING, AND MAJOR FLOODING. EACH CATEGORY HAS A 
DEFINITION BASED ON PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PUBLIC THREAT AND ARE 
CLOSELY COORDINATED BY THE LOCAL NWS OFFICE, THE SERVICING RIVER 
FORECAST CENTER, OR RFC, AND OTHER EMERGENCY AND PUBLIC OFFICIALS. 

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL DEFINITIONS OF THE NWS FLOOD CATEGORIES...

MINOR FLOODING USUALLY HAS MINIMAL OR NO PROPERTY DAMAGE, BUT THERE 
COULD BE SOME LEVEL OF PUBLIC THREAT OR INCONVENIENCE. MANY TIMES 
YOU WILL HEAR THIS REFERRED TO AS NUISANCE FLOODING.

MODERATE FLOODING GENERALLY HAS SOME INUNDATION OF STRUCTURES AND 
ROADS NEAR STREAMS AND RIVERS. SOME EVACUATIONS OF PEOPLE AND 
TRANSFER OF PROPERTY TO HIGHER ELEVATIONS CAN BECOME NECESSARY WITH 
MODERATE FLOODING.

MAJOR FLOODING OCCURS WITH EXTENSIVE INUNDATION OF STRUCTURES AND
ROADS. SIGNIFICANT EVACUATIONS OF PEOPLE AND TRANSFER OF PROPERTY TO
HIGHER ELEVATIONS MAY BECOME NECESSARY.

AN ADDITIONAL CATEGORY OF FLOODING IS RECORD FLOODING. THIS IS FLOODING
WHICH EQUALS OR EXCEEDS THE HIGHEST STAGE OR DISCHARGE OBSERVED AT A
GIVEN SITE DURING THE PERIOD OF RECORD. THE HIGHEST STAGE ON RECORD 
IS NOT NECESSARILY ABOVE THE OTHER THREE FLOOD CATEGORIES, 
ESPECIALLY IF THE PERIOD OF RECORD IS SHORT.

ONE THING TO NOTE: FLOOD CATEGORIES DO NOT EXIST FOR ALL FORECAST 
POINTS OR FLOOD LOCATIONS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T FLOOD! 
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NWS OFFICE MORE INFORMATION ON FLOOD CATEGORIES.

COASTAL FLOODING...

COASTAL FLOODING IS ANOTHER TYPE OF FLOOD. WHEN IT COMES TO TROPICAL 
CYCLONES, THE GENERIC TERM FOR A HURRICANE, TYPHOON, OR TROPICAL 
STORM, WIND SPEEDS DO NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY. ALONG THE COAST, 
STORM SURGE IS OFTEN THE GREATEST THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM A 
TROPICAL CYCLONE. IN THE PAST, LARGE DEATH TOLLS HAVE RESULTED FROM 
THE RISE OF THE OCEAN ASSOCIATED WITH MANY OF THE MAJOR HURRICANES 
THAT HAVE MADE LANDFALL. HURRICANE KATRINA IN 2005 IS A PRIME 
EXAMPLE OF THE DAMAGE AND DEVASTATION THAT CAN BE CAUSED BY STORM 
SURGE. AT LEAST 1500 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES DURING HURRICANE 
KATRINA AND MANY OF THOSE DEATHS OCCURRED DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, 
AS A RESULT OF STORM SURGE. BY KNOWING YOUR VULNERABILITY AND WHAT 
ACTIONS YOU SHOULD TAKE, YOU CAN REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF A COASTAL 
FLOODING DISASTER.

INLAND FLOODING...

SINCE THE 1970'S, INLAND FLOODING HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 
HALF OF THE DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE UNITED 
STATES. TYPICALLY GREATER RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND FLOODING ARE 
ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL CYCLONES THAT HAVE A SLOW FORWARD SPEED OR 
STALL OVER AN AREA.

THESE AREAS CAN BE RIGHT ALONG THE COAST BUT THEY MAY BE EVEN HUNDREDS OF
MILES AWAY FROM WHERE THE STORM MADE LANDFALL. TROPICAL STORM LEE IS A
RECENT EXAMPLE OF INLAND FLOODING SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY FROM
WHERE THE EYE OF THE STORM ULTIMATELY LANDED. IN 2011, TROPICAL 
STORM LEE MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE LOUISIANA COAST. BUT THE REMNANTS 
FROM THE STORM CAUSED HEAVY RAINFALL AND HISTORIC FLOODING IN 
WASHINGTON DC, PENNSYLVANIA, AND AS FAR AWAY AS NEW YORK. TEN 
FATALITIES, ALL IN PENNSYLVANIA, WERE CONFIRMED AS FLOOD RELATED 
DURING THE FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM LEE.

RAINFALL FROM TROPICAL CYCLONE REMNANTS CAN CAUSE FLOODING IF 
CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT. FLASH FLOODING CAN OCCUR IN CREEKS, STREAMS, 
AND URBAN AREAS WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OR HOURS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. 
STREETS CAN BECOME SWIFT MOVING RIVERS AND UNDERPASSES CAN BECOME 
DEATH TRAPS. RIVER FLOODING CAN OCCUR FROM HEAVY RAINS ASSOCIATED 
WITH DECAYING TROPICAL CYCLONES, AND IN EXTREME CASES, RIVER FLOODS 
CAN LAST A WEEK OR MORE. JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIVE NEAR THE COAST 
DOESN'T MEAN YOU WON'T BE IMPACTED BY TROPICAL CYCLONE FLOODING.

KNOWING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOODS, HOW TO PREPARE FOR THEM, AND 
KNOWING THE ACTIONS TO TAKE DURING, AND AFTERWARDS CAN SAVE YOU 
TIME, MONEY, AND EVEN YOUR LIFE. PREPARE NOW, AND BE A FORCE OF 
NATURE!

JOIN US TOMORROW FOR INFORMATION ON TURN AROUND DON/T DROWN.

&&

IMPORTANT FLOOD WEBSITES

NWS AHPS: HTTP://WATER.WEATHER.GOV/AHPS/
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/

NWS MARINE AND COASTAL SERVICES:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/MARINE/MARINE.SHTML

NWS FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS: HTTP://WWW.FLOODSAFETY.NOAA.GOV/
NWS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/
NWS WRN: HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/COM/WEATHERREADYNATION/

BE A FORCE OF NATURE:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/COM/WEATHERREADYNATION/FORCE.HTML

$$