Water is essential to life. No animal or plant life can exist without it.

The land will not yield without supply of adequate water. Yet the same water causes havoc and becomes a terror in the form of floods when the rivers overflow their banks due to excessive rains in their catchment areas. Flood is one of the disasters that always happen in the world including in Malaysia. Flood is usually an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land and the inflow of tide onto land. Floods are the most frequent and costly natural hazards, causing almost 90 percent of all the damage related to natural disasters. Floods usually cause large-scale loss of human life and wide spread damage to properties. This damage is known as flood damage. Do you know how this flood occur? Floods occur when the ground cant hold any more rain. There is too much rain to be absorbed by the earth and the water stays on top of the earth and runs off to the rivers and seas. This is normally happens during the very heavy rain seasons. After severe thunderstorms, monsoons, hurricanes and typhoons, the water fills up the rivers, then the rivers overflow their banks, the water comes onto the land and a flood devastates the land. Sometimes there is a blockage in the run off and again the water overflows and goes on the land and makes a flood. Floods are the most frequent type of disaster worldwide. Thus, it is often difficult or impossible to obtain insurance policies which cover destruction of property due to flooding, since floods are a relatively predictable risk. The main cause of flooding is when a lot of rain falls in a few days. The ground becomes so wet that no more rain can trickle through the earth. This rain runs into the rivers and the water level quickly becomes much higher. The river cannot cope with this extra water and the water breaks over the river banks. This is what happened in China in 1998. Countries like Bangladesh, where land is flat with high mountains, are often flooded in the spring. Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons can cause floods. These are very strong winds which form over the seas and blow towards coastlines. The winds make the waves in the sea much higher. The waves then crash onto the beach and flood the flat land by the coast. Earthquakes also make possible flooding by shaking the earth causing tsunamis. The tsunamis are big waves that travel towards the shore and flood the flat coastal land. Unusually high tides in spring can influence floods by an estuary. High waves, caused by the high tide, rush up the river estuary. There is too much water in the river so the surrounding land is flooded when the river banks burst. Dam failure also can be the producer of a flood. If engineers do not open enough of the dam holes in

times of heavy rainfall, the water can then spill over the top of the dam. The outcome of a flood can be catastrophic. Many things can happen as a result from a flood. There is numerous effects of flooding to this world. The effects of flood damage can be categorized into three types namely, primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary effects of flood damage include physical damages like damage to bridges, cars, buildings, sewer systems, roadways, and even casualties like people and livestock death due to drowning. The primary effect of floods is due to direct contact with the flood waters. The velocity of water tends to be high in floods and consequently, discharge increases as velocity increases. Because of excess rainfall, the rivers and streams flow with higher velocities wherein they are able to transport larger particles like rocks as suspended load. Such large particles include not only rocks and sediment but during a flood it could also include large objects such as automobiles, houses and bridges. Massive amounts of erosion during the floods can undermine bridge structures, levees, and buildings causing their collapse. During floods, water will also enter human built structures causing water damage. The flood damage to houses include ruining of furniture, damage to the floors and walls of the house and damage to any other item that comes in contact with the water. Automobiles on the roads get stranded in the floods and they get carried away by the flood waters or water enters into the automobile, which results in damage that cannot be easily repaired. The flood water carries sediment as suspended load. As the flood waters recede, the sediments get deposited and things and structures including the interior of buildings usually get covered with a thick layer of stream-deposited mud. Farmlands affected by floods face a huge loss as they usually result in crop loss. Livestock, pets, and other animals are often carried away by the strong currents of the flood water. Humans who get caught in the high velocity flood waters often get drowned. Among the secondary effects of flood damage are the disruption of many essential services like gas and electricity. Flood damage also includes the contamination of the drinking water supply, if sewage treatment plants are flooded. This poses a greater threat because this may result in disease and other health hazards, especially in under developed countries. The public transportation systems may also be disrupted during floods, resulting in shortages of food and other supplies.

Tertiary effects of flood damage are generally long-term effects like the location of river channels that may change because of flooding; fewer new channels will develop, leaving the old channels dry. Farmlands with crops get destroyed by the sediment deposition caused by the floods. People may not be able to make it to their workplace due to disruption of services. The floods may also result in destruction of wildlife habitat. Although flood causes several negative effects, it also give some good to us. It puts alluvium on our lands during its inundations. So, our lands get fertile. Flood washes away the filth and rubbish, so the countryside looks fresh and clean. Flood leaves rich deposits of water in ponds, pits and ditches. So, people do not fall in scarcity of water for a long time come. Furthermore, flood does not catch us by surprise. It comes with due notice. So, people keep themselves careful much before the flood. There are considerable ways to prevent or minimize the damage caused by floods. People can protect their property by insurance. They insurance money will pay for repair and replacement of damaged items. But this doesn't stop a flood from happening, or prevent damage to property. People can put sand bags around their houses by cracks in doors and conservatories. Windows can also be boarded up to stop water from coming into the house. People can evacuate their houses, if there is time. As a result of evacuation they may save precious belongings, pets and essential items such as clothes, food, and money. Governments can spend money to make river banks higher. Soil or concrete can be used to make the river banks higher, this is called a levee. When there is more water in the river, it should therefore stay in the channel as the banks are higher. When a flood agent occurs a flood wall can be built by the river bank to protect the town from floods. If the river bursts its banks, the water should stay in front of the floods wall. They water will not reach the town as it is trapped between the river bank and the flood wall. These are just some of the ways a flood or its effect can help to be prevented. Its not always possible to prevent floods, but it is often possible to minimize flood damage. Structures around rivers, lakes and the sea can contain flood waters. Levees, runoff canals, and reservoirs can stop water from overflowing.

Among various kinds of disasters, flooding is unique in the sense that it has a very high degree of predictability, both in the short term, as well as long term. In most situations, flood prone areas are quite known in the sense that they have a history of flooding. Only in very rare situations, a place might be flooded without having any past history of flooding. Even in such cases, a careful study of the area could give an indication of possible flooding. This is the age of science. Science has come to our aid. So, flood-control has become easier. Now big dams are constructed in the river. The dam makes a huge reserve of water. This water is allowed to flow in the canals during the dry seasons. Hence, it is hope that flood havoc will be more possible in the future world. Finally, all parties should cooperate harnessing energy in overcome or minimize floods effect.