INDIANA — High winds and the ground being very saturated has led to large trees being completely uprooted and they've taken down power lines with them.
No power means no working traffic lights which people in Michiana have dealt with over the last few days. This is leaving people to rely on their understanding of the rules of the road.
Sgt. Jason Dziubinski with the St. Joseph County Police Traffic Division says knowing those rules is extremely important in these cases.
"People should treat any intersection as a four-way stop, if the lights are out or if the stop signs are down, you should still drive with caution and make sure that people don't assume that you have the right of way. You should assume that everybody has to stop, but also assume that everybody's not going to stop, because when it comes to a situation like that, people may not be aware and they may just go without stopping at the light or the intersection," Sgt. Dziubinski explained.
In the event downed power lines end up on your car while you're driving, Sgt. Dziubinski says staying in your car is the safest option. However, he acknowledged there may be a time when you have to leave the car.
"If you absolutely have to get out of the vehicle, you should do so by stepping on your vehicle, standing up and jumping out of the vehicle without touching the ground and the vehicle at the same time."
He says after you've safely gotten out of the car, make sure you stand at least 30 feet away from it. Sgt. Dziubinski asks if you see any downed power lines or trees in the road, that you call your local police station and turn back in the opposite direction. He says police will call the electric company.