Since yesterday we’ve received a number of really inspired Haboob Haikus. We are overwhelmed by the creativity that’s out there!

Have you had the chance to submit a poem yet?

Wait … before you hurry off to put the finishing touches on your masterpiece, we’d like to first share a little more about how ADOT deals with dust.

Like we said earlier this week, dust storms are ultimately an act of nature – they’re difficult to predict and control. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to minimize at least the preventable dust.

We shared some tips for driving in dust on Monday (the most important one being, avoid driving through a dust storm) but it seems we talk about dust a lot around here. So for today’s blog post we wanted to recap some of the things we’ve discussed before about how ADOT works to mitigate against blowing dust year round.

First off, Arizona is in the desert (a fairly obvious point, we know), so dust and sand is an issue we always consider, especially during construction of a project.

The amount of dust on a construction site is constantly and closely monitored. Dust levels must meet ADOT and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) policy and standards. Contractors can even be fined if there’s too much dust on projects.

Before construction even begins, water is applied to the site to not only help with compaction, but also to keep dust at bay. During construction, ADOT will often “seed” temporarily exposed dirt to encourage vegetation growth and prevent blowing dust.

Once construction is completed, ADOT will plant new vegetation in the areas that were disturbed, which, you guessed it cuts down on dust. In addition to plants, ADOT uses landform graphics to not only make a nice-looking landscape, but also to mitigate dust.

Finally, paving roads in and of itself is also a dust control effort … imagine how much dust our cars would kick up if roads weren’t paved.

The ability to reduce natural dust impact is, of course, beyond the control of ADOT. Private landowners play a role in dust control and so do the region’s policy makers. ADOT has and will continue to work with these stakeholders on the issue of reduced visibility created by dust storms.

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Taken last July, this photo shows an oncoming Haboob.

Our mission this week is massive and we’ve got to admit, we are going to need a little help.

We’re trying to spread the word on monsoon and dust storm safety and we want to reach as many people as possible, which is where you come in!

After kicking things off yesterday with some driving tips and that cautionary video, we’re launching a “Haboob Haiku” challenge on Twitter today and we’d like you to help us educate others.

Let us explain.

Besides being fun to say, ‘haboob’ is another word for a dust storm and a Haiku is a type of poetry that conforms to a certain syllable structure.

Put them together and you’ve got a Haboob Haiku!

Haikus are traditionally written in three lines – the first line consists of five syllables, the second line has seven and the third line ends with five. Usually these poems are focused on just about any subject, but for our challenge we want you to stick with Haboobs, dust storms and our safety theme (remember “Pull Aside, Stay Alive” from yesterday’s post?).

Ready for a few examples to get things started?

Dust cloud approaching:
The air becomes thick and brown.
Pull over and wait

Haboob engulfs you –
Vision obscured and hazy –
Exit the roadway.

Drive with care in dust
Pull aside and stay alive
Wait for dust to pass

Dust storms mean danger
Zero visibility
Pull over and wait

We’d like you to post your Haboob Haiku creations on Twitter and include the hashtag #HaboobHaiku.

Be sure to share with your friends and let them know what it’s all about. After all, our No. 1 goal is safety and we want to reach as many Arizona drivers as we can to help them prepare for the monsoon and dust storm season ahead ... but who says we can’t have a little fun, too? We're excited to see what you all come up with!!

At ADOT we always want to give drivers a warning of what’s coming up on the road ahead...

Whether it’s an impending freeway closure or a new type of traffic signal, we try our very best to get the word out ahead of time so motorists know what to expect.

But, sometimes something will impact our roads (and the ability to drive them) quickly and without much notice, making it all the more difficult to get the message out.

Dust storms absolutely fall under this category.

As you can see in the video above, these weather phenomena arrive suddenly and bring a blinding dust that can quickly reduce visibility to near zero. They make driving conditions hazardous and can cause crashes that may involve chain collisions and massive pileups on highways.

Ultimately, dust storms are an act of nature. While we don’t get much advance notice that they’re on the way, we can at least learn about these storms and know what to do when we encounter one.

Which brings us to this week’s theme: Pull Aside • Stay Alive.

You’ll hear that a lot from us over the next few days as we devote the entire week to monsoon and dust storm awareness.

That’s right ... this whole week will be focused on staying safe during the monsoon and dust storm season. We’ve got a lot planned for you here on the blog and on our Facebook and Twitter pages, too, so you’ll want to stay tuned!

But, first up, we’ve got some tips for drivers. Motorists play an important role in their own safety and the safety of others when operating vehicles during a dust storm ... here’s what to do when encountering a low- or no-visibility dust storm:

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm. 
• Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway -- do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.
• If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.
• Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane; look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.
• Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from where other vehicles may travel.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers.
• Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
• Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.
• Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.
• A driver’s alertness and safe driving ability is still the No. 1 factor to prevent crashes.