Harrison County Fire Rescue offers flooding and lightning safety tips

The combination of heavy rainfall and lightning resulted in a busy night for Harrison County Fire and Rescue teams. The storm caused an abundance of calls for safety checks for fire alarms, car accidents, and structures damaged by lightning.

Harrison County Fire and Rescue wants us to remember to slow down while driving. Many potholes are filled with water and can easily be deeper than they appear. By reducing speed while driving, the risk of accidents, hydroplaning, and sliding off the road are significantly reduced.

Also, if you think your home is struck by lightning, but you don’t see smoke or smell fire, call the fire department. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said, “Typically what we were getting was my home is struck by lightning, I smell something burning, I don’t see anything but I can smell it. Absolutely call the fire department if that’s the situation so that we can check it out. When it’s raining like it was raining last night, slow down, take your time and the visibility is reduced so you can’t see as well and the roads are slick, I think everybody that I talked to on the wrecks that we did said they hydroplaned.”

As some roads still have water over them, drivers are asked to slow down and use caution. Remember in flood zones to ‘turn around, don’t drown.’