What to do if you’re caught in a flash flood while driving

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

The search continued for a third day in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for 9-month-old Conrad Sheils and his sister 2-year-old Mattie Sheils.

The children were swept away in flood waters in Upper Makefield Township over the weekend.

According to officials, the waters rose around the family’s vehicle with six people inside during flash flooding in the Washington Crossing area on Route 532.

As they tried to escape, the waters swept away the grandmother, mother, and the two youngest children. The father and 4-year-old son were able to get to safety.

The grandmother was later found alive.

Officials emphasized on Monday that none of the victims drove into the water, but instead the “water came to them.”

So what should you do if you find yourself in a similar situation? Experts say the first thing is to stay calm.

“It’s very hard to have a clear head. Even if you know what to do ahead of time, it’s hard to remember in the moment,” said Joseph Bushra, the medical director with Narberth Ambulance.

Make sure to roll down your window right away because the doors will be difficult to open in rising water.

Take off your seatbelt, so you don’t get stuck in the car.

Then it’s time to make a decision.

“There is no right answer. It depends,” said Bushra. “There are going to be times where if it is safe for you to get away from your car and you can see higher ground that’s safe, (you) do that. And there will be times, if it’s just a raging river and you are going to get swept away, try to stay with the car and hope to be rescued.”

The only sure way to protect yourself is to not get yourself in a situation like this.

Experts say to steer clear of areas with flash flood warnings and stay home during severe weather situations because life-threatening situations happen fast.

“Things are fast-moving, so they may not have realized it was happening until it happened. So it’s important to heed the weather reports, do what you can to be diligent,” said Patrick Glynn, the deputy chief with Narberth Ambulance.

Experts also advise to have something to break out windows, you can even use a headrest.