How does flood occur

- floods occur when the ground can't hold any more rain and the rivers and lakes crest
over over their banks ; this normally happens during the very heavy rain seasons
- when poorly built dams fail to hold the water in

What is flood

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. In the sense
of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Flooding may
result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, which
overflows, with the result that some of the water escapes its normal boundaries. While the
size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation and
snow melt, it is not a significant flood unless such escapes of water endangers land areas
used by man like a village, city or other inhabited area.

How to prevent flood

In many countries across the world, rivers prone to floods are often carefully
managed. Defences such as levees, bunds, reservoirs, and weirs are used to prevent
rivers from bursting their banks. When these defences fail, emergency measures such
as sandbags or portable inflatable tubes are used. Coastal flooding has been addressed
in Europe and the Americas with coastal defences, such as sea walls, beach
nourishment, and barrier islands.
 Causes of flood?

Floods from the sea can cause overflow or overtopping of flood-defences like dikes as
well as flattening of dunes or buffs. Land behind the coastal defence may be inundated or
experience damage. Floods from sea may be caused by heavy storm (storm surge), high
tide, a tsunami, or a combination thereof. As most urban communities are located near the
coast, this is a major threat around the world.

A flood happens when an area of land, usually low-lying, is covered with water. The
worst floods usually occur when a river overflows its banks. An example of this is the
January 1999 Queensland floods, which swamped south-eastern Queensland.

Floods happen when soil and vegetation cannot absorb all the water. The water then runs
off the land in quantities that cannot be carried in stream channels or kept in natural
ponds or man-made reservoirs.

Monsoon rainfalls can cause disastrous flooding in some equatorial countries, such as
Bangladesh, Hurricanes have a number of different features which, together, can cause
devastating flooding. One is the storm surge (sea flooding as much as 8 metres high)
caused by the leading edge of the hurricane when it moves from sea to land. Another is
the large amounts of precipitation associated with hurricanes. The eye of a hurricane has
extremely low pressure, so sea level may rise a few metres in the eye of the storm. This
type of coastal flooding occurs regularly in Bangladesh.

Undersea earthquakes, eruptions of island volcanos that form a caldera, (such as Thera or
Krakatau) and marine landslips on continental shelves may all engender a tidal wave
called a tsunami that causes destruction to coastal areas. See the tsunami article for full
details of these marine floods.
 Effects of flood

Primary effects ß
Physical damage - Can range anywhere from bridges,cars, buildings, sewer systems,
roadways, canals and any other type of structure.
Casualties - People and livestock die due to drowning. It can also lead to epidemics
and diseases.

Secondary effects ß
Water supplies - Contamination of water. Clean drinking water becomes scarce.
Diseases - Unhygienic conditions. Spread of water-borne diseases
Crops and food supplies - Shortage of food crops can be caused due to loss of entire
harvest. However, lowlands near rivers depend upon river silt deposited by floods in
order to add nutrients to the local soil.
Trees - Non-tolerant species can die from suffocation.

Tertiary/long-term effects ß
Economic - Economic hardship, due to: temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding
costs, food shortage leading to price increase etc.
 Types of flood

Flash floods:- It is defined as floods which occurs within six hours of the beginning of
heavy rainfall, and are usually associated with cloud bursts, storms and cyclones
requiring rapid localized warning and immediate response if damage is to be mitigated. In
case of flash floods, warning for timely evacuation may not always be possible.

River floods :- Such floods are caused by precipitation over large catchment’s areas.
These floods normally build up slowly or seasonally and may continue for days or weeks
as compared to flash floods.

Coastal floods :- Some floods are associated with the cyclonic activities like Hurricanes,
tropical cyclone etc.

Estuarine floods

Commonly caused by a combination of sea tidal surges caused by storm-force winds. A

storm surge, from either a tropical cyclone or an extratropical cyclone, falls within this
category.

Muddy floods

A muddy flood is generated by run off on crop land.

Catastrophic floods

Catastrophic flooding is often aggravated by wind-induced strom surges along the

coast.;--Caused by a significant and unexpected event e.g. dam breakage, or as a result of
another hazard (e.g. earthquake or volcanic eruption).
 What to do during flood?

During a Flood

If a flood is likely in your area, you should:

• Listen to the radio or television for information.

• Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood,
move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.
• Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood
suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without such typical
warnings as rain clouds or heavy rain.

If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following:

• Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential
items to an upper floor.
• Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect
electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing
in water.

If you have to leave your home, remember these evacuation tips:

• Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you
fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick
to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the
car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be
quickly swept away.