Floods

Intoduction

flood is a condition that occurs when water overflows the artificial or natural
boundaries of a stream, river, or other body of water onto normally dry land. Floods
often happen due to heavy rainfall or thawing snow.

Flooding is extremely dangerous and has the potential to wipe away an

entire city, coastline, or area, and cause extensive damage to life and
property. It also has great erosive power and can be extremely destructive,
even if it is a foot high.
Causes and types of floods
Floods occurs due to:

1. Heavy Rains

2. Overflowing Rivers

3. Broken Dams

3.Storm Surges and tsunamis

4.Melting Snow and Ice

And etc
Types of floods
Floods can be classified in four types ( Peterson, 2001) based on their characteristics of the flood

event:

a) flash floods of a few hours duration;

b) single event flood of long duration;

c) multiple-event floods; and seasonal floods.

Similarly, based on the source type, floods my be classified mainly as:

a) Rainfall flood,

b) Snowmelt flood,

c) Sea surge or tidal flooding,

d) Dam brake flood

Broadly floods can be classified as River floods and Coastal & Estuarine floods:

a) River floods: caused by rainfall, snow and ice-melt, ice jams, landslides

b) Coastal and Estuarine floods: caused by coastal storm surges, tides, earthquakes.

Environmental impacts of floods

Floods are the most frequent type of disaster worldwide. It can strike anywhere and
anytime. Although floods can be predicted, they 0 cause massive damage and
destruction of property as most urban communities are located near water sources
such as coasts and rivers.
Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States. Flood effects can
be local, impacting a neighborhood or community, or very large, affecting entire river
basins and multiple states.
However, not all floods are alike. While some floods develop slowly, sometimes over
a period of days, flash floods develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and
without any visible signs of rain.
What is a Flood?
In plain English, a flood is an excess of water or mud on land that is normally dry. A
flood is a condition that occurs when water overflows the artificial or natural
boundaries of a stream, river, or other body of water onto normally dry land. Floods
often happen due to heavy rainfall or thawing snow.