Turn Around Don't Drown® Warning™ Signs Posted In Northeast Iowa and Southwest Wisconsin

Motorists traveling on 260^th Street where it eventually crosses the Wapsipinicon River in northeast Iowa have something else to see these days. Yellow Turn Around Don't Drown® (TADD) signs have been posted to warn them not to drive across the road when it is covered with water.

"Local officials are very interested and even eager to post these signs," stated Mike Welvaert the Service Hydrologist at the La Crosse Weather Forecast Office. "I was glad to be able to assist. One motorist even stopped by while we were putting the signs up, thanking us for doing it."

On average, 100 people drown each year in flood waters. More than half of the deaths are vehicle related.The National Weather Service has become pro-active in its efforts to save lives from many of these needless drownings by launching its TADD awareness campaign.

This location and several others in both Chickasaw County Iowa and Juneau County Wisconsin were all selected because they are highly-traveled roads and because of the frequency of flooding. Barricades are used often. It is not unusual for water to cover these roads several times per year.

Mike states that at a nearby site where another TADD sign is posted, it is designed with four culverts under the road. The road bed is actually a sunken concrete "spillway" which is designed to allow water to pass over it.

Flooding is still the number one severe weather killer. It only takes six inches of moving water on a road for a motorist to lose control of his vehicle, including SUVs. Two feet of moving water will carry most vehicles away. Welvaert says, "If you encounter water over the roadway, it may be tempting to cross. But take the extra time to find another route. That decision may save your life. Remember, Turn Around, Don't Drown,"