ASSIGNMENT

SEEMAB ALI
(BSCT01161074)
cv-7(M)

FLOOD AND ITS TYPES

Flood

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing
water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the
discipline hydrology and are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering and public
health.

Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river, lake, or ocean, in
which the water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual
boundaries, or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground in an area
flood. While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes
in precipitation and snow melt, these changes in size are unlikely to be considered significant
unless they flood property or drown domestic animals.

Floods can also occur in rivers when the flow rate exceeds the capacity of the river channel,
particularly at bends or meanders in the waterway. Floods often cause damage to homes and
businesses if they are in the natural flood plains of rivers. While riverine flood damage can be
eliminated by moving away from rivers and other bodies of water, people have traditionally lived
and worked by rivers because the land is usually flat and fertile and because rivers provide easy
travel and access to commerce and industry.
Types of flood

Coastal Flood

Coastal areas often bear the brunt of severe storms, especially if these have gathered pace over
the oceans. Extreme weather and high tides can cause a rise in sea levels, sometimes resulting in
coastal flooding. Low-lying seaside areas usually have defenses against the water - whether
that’s man-made defenses or natural barriers such as sand dunes. As global warming develops,
coastal flooding is expected to be a recurring and increasingly severe problem.

Coastal flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Jersey Shore in October 2012
Coastal areas may be flooded by storm events at sea, resulting in waves over-topping defenses or
in severe cases by tsunami or tropical cyclones. A storm surge, from either a tropical cyclone or
an extratropical cyclone, falls within this category. Research from the NHC (National Hurricane
Center) explains: "Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above
the predicted astronomical tides. Storm surge should not be confused with storm tide, which is
defined as the water level rise due to the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide.
This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge
coincides with normal high tide, resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some
cases.
River Flooding

River flooding is one of the most common types of inland flood; occurring when a body of water
exceeds its capacity. When a river ‘bursts its banks’ typically due to high rainfall over a
prolonged period of time - localized flooding can cause considerable damage to surrounding
properties, as well as posing a significant safety threat. To prevent flooding, rivers needs good
defenses, especially in flat or populous areas.

In September 2013, heavy rain caused catastrophic river flooding along Colorado's Front Range
There are two main types of riverine flooding:

 Overbank flooding occurs when water rises overflows over the edges of a river or stream.
This is the most common and can occur in any size channel from small streams to huge
rivers.
 Flash flooding is characterized by an intense, high velocity torrent of water that occurs in
an existing river channel with little to no notice.
Flash Flooding

Caused by heavy and sudden rainfall, flash flooding happens when the ground cannot absorb the
water as quickly as it falls. This type of flood usually subsides quickly, but while it lasts can be
fast-moving and dangerous. Flash flooding can be prevented by good drainage systems and by
avoiding over-development on floodplains.

Flash flooding caused by heavy rain falling in a short amount of time

Groundwater Flood

As opposed to flash floods, groundwater flooding takes time to occur. As rain falls over an
extended period, the ground becomes saturated with water until it cannot absorb any more. When
this happens, water rises above the ground’s surface and causes flooding. This type of flooding
can last for weeks or sometimes even months.
Drain and Sewer Flooding

Sewer floods are not always attributed to the weather. As well as rainfall, they could occur as a
result of a blockage or similar failure within the drainage system. Drain and sewer flooding may
be internal (within a building) or external.

While there may be many different types of floods, they all share one common attribute: the
potential to wreak havoc. Understanding the risks and taking steps to mitigate them is key.

Many areas have separate sewers to take foul waste and rainwater, but in much of London and
some other urban areas, the sewer system is combined, meaning that foul sewage from kitchens
and toilets mixes with rainfall.

This means that, during a heavy storm, the flow in the sewer is much greater and can reach
maximum capacity.

Our sewers are designed to cope with the vast majority of storms but occasionally rainfall can be
so heavy that it overwhelms the system.
Flood frequency analysis
Flood frequency analysis is the means by which flood discharge magnitude (Q) is related to the
probability of its being equaled or exceeded in any year or to its frequency of recurrence or
return period (T). The return period and recurrence interval (terms which are used
interchangeably) are used to indicate the long-term average interval between floods of a given
magnitude. The return period and exceedence probability are reciprocals.

Frequency analysis is most commonly applied to peak instantaneous discharges, but may also
be applied to daily mean flow or to a volume over a specified duration.

Analysis is carried out on an observed historic record of river flow with the aim of assessing
future probabilities of exceedence. The flood record is regarded as if it were a random sample
from a homogeneous population of floods with the assumption that such a record provides a
reasonable approximation of the ‘true” probability distribution.