INTRODUCTION

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. This can happen
in a multitude of ways. Floods are caused by many factors: heavy precipitation, severe
winds over water, unusual high tides, tsunamis, or failure of dams, levels, retention ponds,
or other structures that contained the water. Most common is when rivers or streams
overflow their banks. Excessive rain, rapid ice melting in the mountains can overwhelm a
river and send it spreading over the adjacent land, called a floodplain.
Coastal flooding occurs when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to surge inland.
Most floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents ample time to prepare
or evacuate. Others generate quickly and with little warning. These floods are known as
flash floods and can be extremely dangerous.

Disaster experts classify floods according to their likelihood of occurring in a given time
period. A hundred-year flood, for example, is an extremely large, destructive event that
would theoretically be expected to happen only once every century. But this is a
theoretical number. In reality, this classification means there is a one-percent chance that
such a flood could happen in any given year. Over recent decades, possibly due to global
climate change, hundred-year floods have been occurring worldwide with frightening
regularity.

A 2007 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found
that coastal flooding alone does some $3 trillion in damage worldwide.
Flood control refers to all methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects
of flood waters (Wikipedia). Some of the common techniques used for flood control are
installation of rock berms, sandbags, maintaining normal slopes with vegetation or
application of soil cements on steeper slopes and construction or expansion of drainage
channels. Other methods include levees, dams, retention or detention basins.

Many governments mandate that residents of flood-prone areas purchase flood insurance
and build flood-resistant structures. Massive efforts to mitigate and redirect inevitable
floods have resulted in some of the most ambitious engineering efforts ever seen,
including New Orleans's extensive levee system and massive dikes and dams in the
Netherlands. And highly advanced computer modeling now lets disaster authorities
predict with high accuracy where floods will occur and how severe they're likely to be.

Flood control methods :

Some methods of flood control have been practiced since ancient times. These methods
include planting vegetation to retain extra water, terracing hillsides to slow flow downhill,
and the construction of floodways (man-made channels to divert floodwater). Other
techniques include the construction of levees, lakes, dams, reservoirs, retention ponds to
hold extra water during times of flooding.

Dams :

Many dams and their associated reservoirs are designed completely or partially to aid in
flood protection and control. Many large dams have flood-control reservations in which
the level of a reservoir must be kept below a certain elevation before the onset of the
rainy/summer melt season to allow a certain amount of space in which floodwaters can
fill. Other beneficial uses of dam created reservoirs include hydroelectric power
generation, water conservation, and recreation. In addition to helping farmers, dams help
prevent the loss of life and property caused by flooding. Flood control dams impound
floodwaters and then either release them under control to the river below the dam or store
or divert the water for other uses. These dams are known as dry dam which refers to a
dam that serves purely for flood control without any conservation storage

(e.g. Mount Morris Dam, Seven Oaks Dam).

Diversion canals :

It is a waterway used to divert water from its natural course. Floods can be controlled
using this by redirecting excess water to purpose-built canals or floodways, which in turn
divert the water to temporary holding ponds or other bodies of water where there is a
lower risk or impact to flooding.

Examples of flood control channels include the Red River Floodway that protects the City
of Winnipeg (Canada) and the Manggahan Floodway that protects the City of Manila
(Philippines).

Floodplains and groundwater replenishment

Excess water can be used for groundwater replenishment by diversion onto land that can
absorb the water. This technique can reduce the impact of later droughts by using the
ground as a natural reservoir. It is being used in California, where orchards and vineyards
can be flooded without damaging crops

Coastal defenses :

Coastal flooding has been addressed with coastal defences, such as Tide gates.

Tide gates are used in conjunction with dykes and culverts. They can be placed at the
mouth of streams or small rivers, where an estuary begins or where tributary streams, or
drainage ditches connect to sloughs. Tide gates close during incoming tides to prevent
tidal waters from moving upland, and open during outgoing tides to allow waters to drain
out via the culvert and into the estuary side of the dike..
Self-closing flood barrier :

The self-closing flood barrier (SCFB) is a flood defense system designed to protect people
and property from inland waterway floods caused by heavy rainfall, gales or rapid melting
snow. The barrier system is constantly ready to deploy in a flood situation, it can be
installed in any length and uses the rising flood water to deploy.

Temporary perimeter barriers[edit]

When permanent defenses fail, emergency measures such as sandbags, hydrosacks,

floodstop flood barriers or portable inflatable tubes are used.

Kerala Floods:

Causes: Beginning on 15 August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state of
Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season.[4] It was the worst
flooding in Kerala in nearly a century. Almost all dams had been opened since the water
level had risen close to ov3erflow level due to heavy rainfall, flooding local low-lying
areas.[21] For the first time in the state's history, 35 of its 54[16] dams had been opened.

Impact:

A state official told AFP that 370 people have died, while The Economic Times has
reported that 33,000 people have been rescued.[11][23][24] The Kerala State Disaster
Management Authority has placed the state in a red alert as a result of the intense
flooding.[25] A number of water treatment plants were forced to cease pumping water,
resulting in poor access to clean water, especially in northern districts of the state.[26]
Over 3,274 relief camps[7] have been opened at various locations to accommodate the
flood victims. It is estimated that 1,247,496 people[7] have found shelter in such camps.

Death toll by date[3]

 People
Date Death toll
in relief camps

Aug 9 23 8,000

Aug 10 29 53,501

Aug 11 33 60,622

Aug 13 39 N/A

Aug 15 47 N/A

Aug 16 105 150,000

Aug 17 114 314,391

Aug 18 195 887,000

Aug 19 220 724,649

Aug 20 252 1,028,073

Disaster management during Kerala Floods:

Being instructed by the Cabinet Secretary, senior officers of Defence Services, NDRF,
NDMA and secretaries of Civilian Ministries conducted meetings with Kerala Chief
Secretary. Following the decisions taken during these meetings, the Centre launched
massive rescue and relief operations. In one of the largest rescue operations, 40
helicopters, 31 aircraft, 182 teams for rescue, 18 medical teams of defense forces, 58
teams of NDRF and 7 companies of Central Armed Police Forces were pressed into
service along with over 500 boats and necessary rescue equipments.

Sally Varma of Humane Society International arranged for animals to be rescued and
transported to special shelters that housed affected animals. Social media has been
used to highlight the rescue of multiple animals - dogs, cats, goats, cows, cattle, ducks
and snakes, with animal feed and medicine transported to affected areas.[41]

A worker with the Humane Society International spoke out against the tethering and
leaving of pets that occurred

The District Collector of Malappuram, and its Chief of Police have instructed the police
force to save any animal that they encounter during rescue operations
Disasters affect millions of peop le each y ear on a personal, business, local community or national level. The go lden rule for successful disaster management at all levels is to increase awareness, develop actions p lans and practice them. Waiting for a disaster to ta ke place is n ot the rig ht time to plan. Communicating and b uild ing relatio nship s with tho se around y ou, whether they contribute actively to the plan or are dependent on it, will have the most sign ificant and pos itive affect in determining y our resiliency throughou t an event.
Disasters affect millions of peop le each y ear on a personal, business, local community or national level. The go lden rule for successful disaster management at all levels i s to increase awareness, develop actions p lans and practice them. Waiting for a disaster to ta ke place is n ot the rig ht time to plan. Communicating and b uild ing relatio nship s with tho se around y ou, whether they contribute actively to the plan or are dependent on it, will have the most sign ificant and pos itive affect in determining y our resiliency throughou t an event.
Disasters affect millions of peop le each y ear on a personal, business, local community or national level. The go lden rule for successful disaster management at all levels is to increase awareness, develop actions p lans and practice them. Waiting for a disaster to ta ke place is n ot the rig ht time to plan. Communicating and b uild ing relatio nship s with tho se around y ou, whether they contribute actively to the plan or are dependent on it, will have the most sign ificant and pos itive affect in determining y our resiliency throughou t an event.
Disasters affect millions of peop le each y ear on a personal, business, local community or national level. The go lden rule for successful disaster management at all levels is to increase awareness, develop actions p lans and practice them. Waiting for a disaster to ta ke place is n ot the rig ht time to plan. Communicating and b uild ing relatio nship s with tho se around y ou, whether they contribute actively to the plan or are dependent on it, will have the most sign ificant and pos itive affect in determ ining y our resiliency throughou t an event.
Disasters affect millions of peop le each y ear on a personal, business, local community or national level. The go lden rule for successful disaster management at all levels is to increase awareness, develop actions p lans and practice them. Waiting for a disaster to ta ke place is n ot the rig ht time to plan. Communicating and b uild ing relatio nship s with tho se around y ou, whether they contribute actively to the plan or are dependent on it, will have the most sign ificant and pos itive affect in determining y our resiliency throughou t an event.