Developed as a cooperative

effort between the National Weather Service and the Federal Alliance for

Safe Homes, the kickoff of the campaign coincided with National Hurricane

Awareness Week, May 18-24. Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through

Nov. 30, with September the peak month.

"Even considering all

the destruction caused by high winds, inland flooding is the most dangerous

and deadly problem caused by hurricanes," Oxendine said. "For

example, of the 56 deaths caused by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, all but six

were the result of inland flooding. In fact, the leading cause of all

weather-related fatalities in the U.S. is flooding.

"That's why we urge people

not to try to walk or even drive through flooded areas," Oxendine

said. "Turn around, don't drown."

According to the National Weather

Service, most deaths from inland flooding occur not as a result of people

being overtaken by rising water, but because they walk or drive into flooded

areas. The power and speed of the water, not the depth, makes inland flooding

dangerous. It takes only six inches of rushing water to knock a person

off their feet, and just two feet of rushing water can carry away most

vehicles.

Detailed safety information

about preparing for and dealing with weather-related disasters is available

online at the Commissioner's Office Web site, www.gainsurance.org, as

well as FLASH and the National Weather Service Southern Region Web sites,

www.flash.org and www.srh.weather.gov.