---
title: Navigating Severe Weather While Living With Paralysis
description: Amidst severe storms sweeping across California, triggering mudslides and flash flood warnings, residents—including those living with paralysis—are urged to stay vigilant. As heavy rain persists over the next day, prioritize safety by following these essential tips.
---

[Voices From The Community | Spinal Cord Injury & Paralysis](https://blog.christopherreeve.org/en)

# [Navigating Severe Weather While Living With Paralysis](https://blog.christopherreeve.org/en/navigating-severe-weather)

 Written by [Reeve Staff](https://blog.christopherreeve.org/en/author/reeve-staff) | Feb 5, 2024 8:19:15 PM

Flooding is a year-round threat to communities across the United States, causing more deaths than any weather-related hazard besides excessive heat. Flash floods are especially dangerous: sudden snowmelt and heavy rainfall occurring in a short period of time can not only cause water to rise as high as 30 feet, but also trigger rock and mudslides.

###  Consider these tips to stay safe:

- Never drive through flood waters. Six inches of water is strong enough to knock a person over, one foot is enough to sweep away a car.
- Do not drive on bridges over fast moving water.
- Track weather alerts, road closures and evacuation orders by monitoring local news and official social media accounts of the National Weather Service and regional organizations and government agencies, including newspapers, television stations, mayor’s offices, state police and fire departments, utility providers, governor’s offices, and the state Department of Transportation.
- If you’re trapped at home and flooding is a threat, evacuate to the highest level that you can access.
- If your power goes out, **do not** use generators or camp stoves inside your home. Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms in areas experiencing power outages.
- A surge of calls can overwhelm communication networks in an emergency. Texting may be the fastest way to reach family and friends as it requires fewer network resources.
- Conserve cell phone batteries by deleting apps not in use.
- As emergencies develop, the Red Cross will likely be on the ground providing resources and operating emergency shelters. Locate open shelters by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or visiting its searchable website [here](https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html.). All Red Cross shelters are accessible.

[View full post](https://blog.christopherreeve.org/en/navigating-severe-weather)

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