Cars can be easily be swept away in just 2 feet of moving water. If flood waters rise around a car, it should be abandoned. Passengers should climb to higher ground. Another risk area is upstream from large culverts or outfalls. Much of Collier County is susceptible to flooding after heavy rains, heavy thunderstorms , or tropical weather such as a depression, tropical storm or hurricane.
Floods can be slow, or fast rising but generally develop over a period of days.
In coastal Florida, the storm surge accompanying a hurricane is generally the most devastating type of flooding. A wall of water swept inland ahead of the storm batters the coastline destroying anything in its path. A little farther inland the battering effect diminishes quickly, but rising waters can still destroy property, even several miles from the Gulf. Flash floods usually result from intense storms dropping large amounts of rain in a short time. Flash floods occur with little or no warning and can reach full peak in only a few minutes.