It’s the last day of Severe Weather Awareness Week, and the topic is flooding safety.

Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Deputy Coordinator Jeremy Cooper says that many people in Guthrie County, and in Iowa for that matter, probably aren’t thinking about what to do if flooding occurs, as the state has been in a drought for the past four years. He mentions that flooding can still happen in drought stricken areas though, as heavy rains and strong storms can cause flash flooding. Cooper tells Raccoon Valley Radio that this type of flooding is what the county is most likely to face at this point in time.

“Low lying areas or some of these smaller creeks or streams, even our rivers can get inundated. I think it’d take a lot right now for our rivers to get inundated and flash flood, but some of our smaller streams and creeks definitely could.”

Cooper explains that anytime there’s a torrential downpour of rain, it’s easy to see water running out of fields and down streets and roads, but that water levels generally decrease fairly quickly. He adds that areal flooding is fairly uncommon for Guthrie County, but that it’s still something that could happen, citing the major flooding in the 1950’s and in 1993.