Floods

INTRODUCTION
Afloodisusuallycausedbyrain,

heavythunderstorms,andthawing
ofsnow.
Itsconsideredtobeatemporary
conditionoftwoormoreacresof
drylandeither:
Overflowedwithinlandortidal
waters
Rapidorrunoffofsurfacewaters
Mudflows

HowdoesFloodingStartandend?
Theshoreorlandbyorsurroundingabodyofwater
erodesandthiserosioncauseswavescurrentsthat
resultinaflood.
Flooddisastershavebeenincreasedbecauseofthe
expansionofsettlementsandgrowthinfloodplains.
Floodscouldbesloworfastbutusuallyoccurovera
matterofdays.
Afterthewatereventuallygoesdownordriesup.On
coastalfloods,lowtidesandhightidesmakesa
changeinheights.

Whydoesitoccur??
Afloodistoomuchwaterinthewrongplace.
Sometimesafloodoccursfrom:
Sewer(drain)backup
Collapseoflandalongtheshoreofalakeor
anotherbodyofwater.Thisresultsinwaves
orcurrentsduringaflood

Floodingisthemostworldwidenaturaldisaster.Itoccursin
everycountryandwhereverthereisrainfallorcoastal
hazards.
Theyaremostlikelytohappenintropicalareasandtsunamis.
Mostcommonfloodshappenaroundtheworlds
largest/greatestrivers.
Believeitornot,smallerriverscouldcausemoredamage
eventhoughpeopledontpayasmuchattentiontothem.
MostFloodingoccursduringthebeginningofspring.

CharacteristicsofaFlood
Anumberofcriteriadeterminethedangersofaflood.TheUniversityof
Wisconsinhavecameupwiththefollowingcriteriasuchasdepthof
water,duration,velocity,rateofrise,frequencyoroccurrence,and
seasonal.
Velocityhighvelocitiesofflowcreateerosiveforcesandcando
thingslikedestroyfoundations.
DepthofWaterfloatation,failuresonfoundation,vegetationsurvival,
etc..
RateofRiseistherateatwhichthewaterlevelincreases.
Seasonalthelandduringgrowingseason,theeffectsonagriculture
productionandotherthingslikethat.

HowDoesitEffectPeople?

QuickTime and a
Photo - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Theamountofpeople
effectedbyfloodsfrom
19992000isreported
tobeapproximately
1.5billion.
IntheU.S.alonethere
are10millionpeople
livinginareasthat
couldflood.

PrecautionstoTake
Toremainsafefromfloodsyouneedto
knowwhenandhowtodealwith
them.
Livescouldbesavedbyhavingmore
warningsoffloodsforplacesin
threat.
Therearethingsusedforantiflood
protectionanditmakesyourhouse,
yardandmuchmore,safeand
protectedwhenafloodarrives.They
canbeusedoverandoveragain.


FloodProtectionEquipment

ThisisaDoorFloodBarrier.Itsusedtofit
andsealyourdoor.
Thisisafreestandingdoorbarrier.The
differencewiththisoneisyoucanstillhave
useofthedooraswell.
ModularFloodBarrieristhehighestlevelof
protection.Itsinstalledtoprotectyour
wholepropertyfromhighbodiesofwater
duringaflood.

PredictionsofaFlood

DeepSnowcanmeltintoalotofwater.
Itusuallyfloodsbecauseofrainor
rapidwarmtemperatures.
Frozengroundwontabsorbasmuch
water,therainand/orsnowcauses
floodingonfrozenground.
FullreservoirsReservoirsareverybig
andaremanmadetoholdwaterfor
drinkingorirrigation.Itwontabsorb
anymorewaterffullanditcausesitto
overflow.
HighRiverorStreamLevelsmelting
flowsintoafullriverandoverflowson
banks.

GovernmentandEmergencyTeamAid
ThereisanorganizationcalledWorldMeteorological
Organization.Itpromotesfloodmanagementandwater
resourcesmanagement.Theyhavesuccessfullyguidedand
promotedinternationaldevelopmentofmeteorologyand
hydrology.Theygiveforecastsandwarnings.
Thegovernmentsresponsibilityoffixingthingsduringa
floodareforexample:damagedroads,buildings,
telephones,andelectricity.

ThisisthenaturaldisastersinU.S.andthecostinmillions.

EffectsontheEnvironment
Sometimesitsagoodthingwhenafloodoccurs.Theenvironmental
benefitsoffloodingarefisheries,wetlands,andirrigation.
Floodplainshaveoneofthehighestdevelopmentpotentialwhenit
comestoeconomicdevelopment.
Italsomakesamessoftheenvironment.Thesoilbecomespoor
becausetheoxygenislimitedduetosomuchwater.ThepHin
soildecreases,ratedecompositionoforganicmatterinflooded
soiltendsonlytobehalfthatunfloodedsoil
Treesareeffectedaswell.Iteffectstheheight,age,vigor,roots,and
species.
Duringthegrowingseasonfloodingisveryharmfulespeciallyto
woodyplantscomparedafloodinadormantseason.
Floodscouldcarrychemicalsfromagriculturalfields,sewage,etc.
andcanthandlelargebodiesofwater.
Cropsdiebecausetheycantsurvivebecauseoftheconditions.

FlashFloods

Thisisapictureofatown
afteraFlashFlood

Flashfloodshappeninashorttime,
theyhaveagreatvolumeof
water,andarelocalfloods.
Therunoffofintenserainresultsin
highfloodwaves.
Flashfloodsresultinfailureof
damsandmore.
Itusuallyhappensindesertareas
andmountainregions.
Theyareathreatinsteepland,high
runoffrates,thunderstorms,and
narrowstreams.

RiverFloods
Riverinefloodsarecaused
bymeltingofsnowand
precipitationoverlarge
areas.Theytakeplacein
rivers.Floodsinlarge
riverstakehourstodays.
Thegroundconditions
effectstherunoff.

CoastalFloods

VenezuelainDecemberof1999.

Coastalfloodsarecausedbytides,
storms,tropicalcyclones,or
tsunamis.
Theyhappenintheoceanand
effectsthegeneralpublicand
maritimeinterestsalongthe
coastline.
Theyarecausedbyheavysurf,tidal
piling,andstormsurges,
Otherfactorsaretidalcycles,
behaviorsofthestorm,riveror
streamrunoff,nooffshorereefs
orotherbarriers,andhighwinds.

UrbanFloodsandIceJams
Urbanfloodsarewhenthelandis
turnedfromfieldsorwoodsinto
roadsandparkinglots.Sincethis
happensitcantabsorbthe
rainfall.
Duringtheurbanfloodsallthe
streetsbecomeriversand
basementsbecomefullofwater,
theyaredeathtraps.
IceJamisfloatingicethataddsupat
amanmadeornaturalareaand
stopstheflowofwater.This
causestheareatoflood.

LakeshoreFloods
Lakeshorefloodsaffectthegeneralpublic
aswellassomeareasoftheGreat
Lakes.
Thesefloodsextendfromthebeachesto
riversthatflowintolakes.Theextent
ofthefloodingisdependanton
surroundingtheshoreterrain.The
causesoftheselakeshorefloodsare
seichesintheGreatLakes.
TheWebsterdictionarysdefinitionof
Seichesis:
Theflowofperiodicallychanging
directionofthesurfaceofalandlocked
bodyofwater(likealake)thatvaries
fromafewminutestoseveralhours.

DeathsduringFloods
Floodsoftenresultindeath,especiallyalong
riverbanksandlowlyingareas.
FloodskillmoreAmericansthananyother
naturaldisastereachyear.Youmaybe
surprisedbutonly6inchesoffastmoving
watercansweepapersonofftheirfeetand
carswillfloatofmoveinonlytwofeetof
water.

RedRiverValleyFlood

TheRedRiverfloodcrestemptiedinto
LakeWinnipegonMay8th,1997.This
endedthelargestfloodinRedRiver
Valleyeverrecorded

Theredrivervalleyoccurredin1997in
Minnesota.Thatwintereightharsh
blizzardshitRedRiverValley.Whenthe
snowstartedtomelttheriverstartedto
rise.
Thefloodpreparationwasmadefora49foot
floodcrest.Thefloodwasactually54.33
feetonApril22,1997.
Areasthatwereinimmediatedangerwas
evacuatedonApril18th,peoplewere
evacuatedfromentirecitiesonthe19th.
Onthe24ththegovernmentofficialsstarted
toletpeoplebackindryareas.
Mostofthecleanupwasdonebytheendof
1997buttheywerestillbuildinghouses,
basements,andotherbuildingsin2000.

Mozambique,AfricaFlood
InMozambiqueonMarch3rd,2000an
awfulfloodhaddestroyedthree
villages.
Around1millionpeopleneededshelter,
food,andmedicalcare.
Thousandsofpeopleremainedonroofs
andratinfestedtrees.
Rescuershadsaved12,000peoplefrom
floodwatersafterstarvingforaweek.
15,000remainedinSaveRiverValley,
strandedandnowheretogo.
Thegovernmenthasestimated1million
peoplehavebeendisplacedbyfloods
sincethebeginningofFebruary2000.

BangladeshFlood
Bangladeshisacountrywithmanyrivers.
Floodinginthisareaiscommonand
necessarysoitcouldfertilizefrom
depositsoffreshalluvium.
Freshalluviumissoilthatisdepositedby
movingwater.
Inthefallof1974floodingwasextended
overonehalfofthecountryandstayed
thiswayforoveramonth.
Atleast1,200peoplehaddiedinthefloods
and27,500diedfromdiseasesand
starvation.425,000houseswere
destroyedanddestroyedagriculture.The
costofdamageswere325.9millionin
U.S.
36millionwereeffectedbythishugeflood.

NovaScotiaFlood
Thishorrificstormdumpedaround100millimetersofraintroughthe
AtlanticonMondayMarch3rd,2003.
Itwascausedbymeltingsnow,rain,hightides,andfreezingrain
whichcausedstreamsandriverstoclogandtreestobreak.
Thousandsofpeoplehavehadtobailoutoftheirhomes.
Theoveralldamageforprovincialroadsandbridgesisestimatedto
be10milliondollars.
QuickTime and a
Photo - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

NovaScotiasTransportationDepartmentsaid47bridgeshavebeen
destroyedordamagedbyflooding.Twohundredroadshavebeen
damagedintheprovinceaswell.Majorculvertswereruinedandoil
tanksrippedfromhomes.
Emergencytendersarebeingsentouttogetrepairworkstartedas
soonaspossible.
Unfortunatelyaseniorscouplediedwhenthatcargotsweptaway
fromafloodedroadofLahaveRiver.
ThisfloodwasoneoftheworstfloodsNovaScotiahashadinyears.

QuickTime and a
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ThesearepicturesofdifferentpartsofNovaScotiaaftertheflood

NorthernCalifornia

Tunisia

Zambia SoutheasternAfrica

Brazil

Madagascar

Indonesia
Northern
Australia
WesternAustralia

Thisiswherethelatestfloodshaveoccurredintheworld.It
wastakenbyNASAsatellite.

FloodInsuranceRateMap
AFloodInsuranceRateMap(FIRM)isamapto
showfloodriskzonesandfloodelevations.

SPECIALFLOODHAZARDAREASINUNDATEDBY100YEARFLOOD
ZONEA
Nobasefloodelevationsdetermined
ZONEAE
Basefloodelevationsdetermined
ZONEX
Areasof500yearflood;areasof100yearfloodwithaveragedepthsoflessthan1footorwithdrainageareaslessthan1squaremile;andareasprotectedbyleveesfrom100yearflood
OTHERFLOODAREAS
ZONEX
Areaof500yearflood;areasof100yearfloodwithaveragedepthsoflessthan1footorwithdrainageareaslessthan1squaremile;andareasprotectedbyleveesfrom100yearflood
OTHERAREAS
ZONEX
Areasdeterminedtobeoutside500yearfloodplain
ZONED
Areasinwhichfloodhazardsareundetermined
EXPLANATIONOFZONEDESIGNATIONS
ZONEA
Areasof100yearflood;basefloodelevationsandfloodhazardfactorsnotdetermined
ZONEA1A30
Areasof100yearflood;basefloodelevationsandfloodhazardfactorsdetermined
ZONEB
Areasbetweenlimitsofthe100yearfloodand500yearflood;orcertainareassubjectto100yearfloodingwithaveragedepthslessthan(1)footorwherethecontributiondrainageareaislessthanonesquaremile;orareasprotectedbyleveesfromthebaseflood
ZONEC
Areasofminimalflooding
ZONEV1V30
Areasof100yearcoastalfloodwithvelocity(waveaction);basefloodelevationsandfloodhazardfactorsdetermined

FloodHazardBoundaryMap
AFloodHazardBoundaryMap(FHBM)isforanarea
andoutlinesthespecialfloodareasbutdoesnt
includeandelevationinformation.Itshowsflood
insuranceriskzones.Itsfor100500yearflood
areas.


ThesearepicturesoffloodsinTexas.Itwastheworst
floodsince1998inTexas.22peoplewerekilled

TheNSDUextensionservicesays:

Thesearepeoplefromtheredcross
inChinareachingvictimsintheir
boat.

DURING A FLOOD
Listen to the radio for further information.
Fill bathtubs, sinks and jugs with clean water in case water
becomes contaminated.
Bring outdoor belongings, such as patio furniture, indoors.
Move valuable household possessions to the upper floors or
to safe ground if time permits.
If you are instructed by authorities, turn off all utilities at the
main power switch and close the main gas valve.
Join with neighbors and volunteers to put sandbags or other
protection in place. Stack sandbags away from the outside
walls of houses to prevent floodwaters from entering.
Do not attempt to walk through moving floodwaters. If they
are moving fast enough, water one foot deep can sweep you
off your feet.
Do not attempt to drive over a flooded road. Turn around and
go another way.

Clickhere

Flooding
Asyoucanseefloodingisnotonlyareoccurring
naturaldisasteritsalsoverydangerous!!
Floodingiscostlyandthreatening.Thisisno
joke!!!

Bibliography

http://www.fema.gov/hazards/floods

www.und.nodak.edu/dept/library/Collections/og1351.html
http://wmo.ch/apfm
http://www.antiflood.com
www.canada.com/news/story.asp?id=275CB01ACDDC47AOO93/D5274D7244
www.ssl.sabah.gov.my/clh/environment/flood/flood_effects.html
www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/n_resource/flood/toler.htm
www.hydrology.com
http://dmc.engr.wisc.edu/courses/hazards/BB0206.html
novascotia.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filenames=ns_floodcost20030402
www.usatoday.com/weather/wfldfac.htm#three
http://ks.water.usgs.gov/kansas/pubs/factsheet/fs.023000.html
www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/030400/new_slow.html
www.propertyappraiser.lee.fl.us/GISDepartment/FIRM1.htm
www.savethechildren.org/press/pr_bangladesh.html

www.personal.psu.edu/users/a/l/alal64/projects/geog121/project5/firm_example.htm

www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/ffbro.htm