disadvantages of flood essay

• The Environment

Flood advantages, disadvantages, types, causes and risks

by Heba Soffar · Published January 11, 2016 · Updated March 6, 2024

A flood is a large body of water in some areas where it becomes destructive and impedes the natural cycle of living organisms, It may be a result of long periods of heavy rain, or rivers or lakes, When the temperature is high, It can cause flooding as they cause the ice caps and the snow to melt quickly.

Many areas are prone to being inundated by floodwaters during times of heavy rain, snowmelt, or high tides, Floods are an area of study in the discipline of hydrology and are of concern in agriculture, civil engineering, and public health, Floods are very important processes for the natural environment, and humans also benefit from them.

A flood is an overflow of water that normally covers the dry ground, It can refer to the tide’s inflow when used in the sense of “flowing water,” Flooding can happen when water from bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, or the ocean, overflows and breaches levees, allowing some of the water to stray outside its customary confines, it can result in flooding when rainfall gathers on soggy soil.

Floods can make the land fertile, add nutrients to the sea, dislodge accumulated debris, supply sediment to deltas, recharge underground water levels, and balance the health of wetlands. Flooding leaves behind fine sand, clay, silt, and organic matter. floodplains are one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the world. The flooded soil environment allows the cultivation of many crops like rice.

People have come to regard floods as disasters in terms of lives lost and property damage, Although, floods can be devastating to population centers, they have been an integral part of nature’s renewal process. Flooding distributes and deposits river sediments over large areas of land, These river sediments replenish nutrients in topsoil and make agricultural lands more fertile.

Flood advantages

There are many benefits of flooding despite its immediate ill effects, For the farmers and the people in the agricultural sector, It helps them in the long run by providing nutrients to the soil that were lacking, Making the soil more fertile, and increasing agricultural production.

The nutrients are also added to the rivers and the lakes, They improve the health of fishes that can be consumed, There may be the relocation of fishes and the organisms living in the water bodies, flooding may improve the ecosystem, New predators and prey are introduced to the areas, balancing the aquatic population.

The floodplains are relatively flat lands adjacent to a body of water such as a river or a stream that becomes flooded (inundated with the water ) when the channel capacity is exceeded, and the floodplain surrounding the river is used as agricultural land.

The floodplains are dynamic natural systems, natural processes of periodic flooding , accompanied by erosion and deposition, They bring changes to the topography, the soils, the vegetation, and the physical features within these areas over time.

The f loodplains provide a wide range of benefits to the ecosystem and community, flood storage and erosion control provide a broad area with streams and rivers to spread out and accommodate temporary storage of the floodwater, reducing the flood peaks and the erosion potential.

The flood offers g roundwater recharge, It provides the h abitat with a variety of fish and wildlife including rare and endangered species, It offers biological productivity, It provides fertile soils with a high rate of plant growth and diversity, richer agricultural harvests, and healthier forests.

Zebras, impalas, and other wildlife can die of thirst, hunger, and weakness because of this, so, flooding during the rainy season not only fills rivers but also wipes away all unwanted debris. Deltas form when sediment accumulates across rivers faster than the sea removes it, They are very productive regions that protect the coast against waves and storms, As floodwaters hit estuaries, they also deposit sediment on deltas, thus fortifying them.

Floodplains offer cultural, educational, recreational, and scenic values to humans, floodplains include many archaeological and historical sites, Floods contribute to the health of ecologically important wetland areas, Healthy wetlands promote healthy water supplies and affects air quality, and Flooding inundates wetlands with fresh waste.

Floodways are defined as that area of the watercourse that is necessary to carry the base flood without increasing the water surface elevation more than one foot, Development is heavily regulated in floodway areas, Riverine systems are important habitats for a variety of fish, reptiles, vegetation, and fur-bearing wildlife. These systems provide feeding and breeding grounds for these species.

Floods can dislodge materials that block rivers and estuaries, Debris such as branches, logs, and boulders often hinder the movement of water in rivers, they can inhibit the flow of water altogether leading to droughts downstream, Debris can block river flow causing droughts downstream, so, floods can dislodge this debris.

Disadvantages of the Flood

Heavy floods can be so disastrous that the infrastructure is washed away, The people and the animals drown, and people can be stranded for long periods, The society and the economy of the country will suffer in many ways after the flood.

The loss of lives, vegetation, and infrastructure means there will be fewer people in the labor force, less agriculture available for the locals and the exportation, and fewer businesses to contribute to the economy of the country.

There will be mass dislocation of people, many people may be left homeless and jobless, So, The government will have to spend a little more, The country may seek assistance from foreign countries to supply the food and the materials to clean and replace the infrastructure.

Floodwater can be dangerous when they have more depth and speed, It is very dangerous to walk or drive through the floodwater when they are six inches of water that can cause unstable footing, and two feet of water can cause the car to be swept away.

More people drown in their cars in floods than anywhere else, Floods and storms also can knock down power lines and electrical currents can travel through the water . Floodwater may carry silt, raw sewage, oil, or chemical waste, If you can wear gloves and boots to avoid coming into contact with floodwater if you touch the floodwater, you are advised to wash your hands thoroughly.

If the wells are flooded, The well will be contaminated, If you are on a public water system, You should listen to TV or radio to know if it has become contaminated, floodwaters can also damage the structures and the contents. The rivers, especially the big ones can cause a lot of mayhem, When they flood, they destroy livelihoods, They cause economic damage and they kill people.

Flooding can destroy everything in their path, resulting from a river overflow or a dam failure, It causes property damage by flooding homes, buildings, and bridges, It can start fires that end in explosions, It can harm sewage networks as well as drainage systems, Waste material consequently overflows, causing contamination, Or they contaminate water sources, rendering the water unsafe for human consumption.

Flooding causes forcing long-term evictions of communities and accelerates the spread of mosquito- and water-borne diseases, It causes damage to a building or business if it is situated in a river’s natural floodplain, It can result when water is produced by snowmelt or rainfall in low-lying areas more quickly than the ground or runoff can absorb it.

Floods lead to economic losses, As floods destroy transportation and communication networks, people cannot work, They wipe out agricultural land or transmit diseases to farm animals, Regions that depend on coastal tourism and associated businesses suffer significantly as well, Floods can affect their properties or discourage tourists from visiting such places, While such businesses have insurance cover to build back, it is another battle to get hold of that money.

Floods can wipe away significant amounts of sediment, This can lead to bank erosion, collapse or landslides where the terrain is steep. flooding can stimulate algal blooms in the sea, lakes, and rivers, A load of nutrients especially phosphorous and nitrogen stimulates algae to grow and multiply rapidly, they cover the surface of the water preventing oxygen from penetrating inside, so, organisms that live inside die.

Floods can kill a lot of people, if they are not well prepared for the floods, floods may result in physical or mental health problems for many people, They lead to water pollution, which in turn causes illness outbreaks, including diarrhea and gastroenteritis, They disturb the livelihoods of numerous populations by destroying farms and crops.

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Thunderstorms Advantages and Disadvantages

Hurricanes & tropical storms advantages and disadvantages

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The Negative Impacts of Flooding on the Planet

Flooding is one of the world’s most costly and dangerous natural disasters. Floods negatively impact people, communities, property, and the environment every year. The planet has experienced increasingly frequent and severe floods over the past several decades due to climate change. With this trend continuing to climb, flooding will increase the costs of damage and recovery efforts. Here are some of the negative impacts of flooding on the planet.

Floods occur when there’s a large amount of water in an area, usually due to heavy rain or melting snow. They are more likely to happen during the spring and summer when temperatures are warmer and there’s more precipitation.

There are several reasons why flooding frequencies have increased over time:

• Global warming : Global warming increases the likelihood of extreme weather events like hurricanes and tropical storms. These events cause flooding by bringing larger amounts of rain or snowfall at once.
• Population growth: More people means more roads, homes, businesses, and other structures built near rivers or other bodies of water. Construction often leads to erosion. If there’s an extreme weather event like a hurricane or tropical storm, the increased development will weaken the land and lead to more severe damage than before.
• Land use changes: Land use changes such as deforestation can increase runoff from rainstorms, leading to increased flooding risk.

4 Negative Impacts of Flooding

1. floods harms wildlife.

Wild animals are particularly vulnerable to flooding. They may find themselves trapped in an area that is too difficult to escape, or they may need access to areas rich in food sources. Flooding also impacts wildlife by forcing them to abandon their homes, destroying eggs and younger animals in the process.

In addition to these direct effects, flooding can be devastating in long-term ways. For example, floods often result in habitat destruction in forests and wetlands. Beginning in 2019, parts of Herefordshire England were flooded, causing damage that would take decades for some affected ecosystems to recover .

2. Floods Represent a Risk to People and Communities

Floods can also be devastating for communities living in affected areas. They damage homes and businesses as well as the very fabric of a community, forcing people to evacuate. As a result, many people are without a place to live for long periods and must rely on government assistance for food and shelter. 

During last year’s monsoon season flooding in Pakistan , almost 1,700 people lost their lives and nearly two million homes were destroyed. Worsening flood seasons will only cause an increase in the devastating impact on communities in the future.

Flooding also has long-term impacts on people’s lives. It disrupts local economies as businesses close or relocate due to water damage or lack of power. Additionally, some flood victims may never return to their homes or businesses due to the extent of the damage. This displacement will ultimately lead to climate migration, which may displace over 1.2 billion people by 2050 and lead to a global migrant crisis in the coming years.

3. Floods Lead to Erosion and Sedimentation

Erosion is the process of the Earth’s surface breaking down or wearing away due to contact with wind, water, or ice. Sedimentation occurs when sediments deposit into a particular place they don’t belong. Flooding causes both these processes to occur in large amounts at once.

Erosion and sedimentation destroy vegetation and prevent plant growth because of insufficient nutrients.

Eroded materials can also end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans, affecting water quality and aquatic life. These often clog streams, inhibiting fish migration and reproduction.

Sedimentation reduces water flow downstream and limits habitat availability for aquatic organisms. Erosion and sedimentation can also cause harmful algal blooms, which kill fish populations and cause illnesses in people who eat them.

4. It Spreads Diseases and Contamination

Flooding is a common way for diseases and contamination to spread. When a flood hits, sewage overflows into nearby rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources. This leads to water supply contamination, which can be especially dangerous for those with compromised immune systems and other health conditions.

Water supply contamination leads to bacteria growth , such as E. coli, salmonella, and cholera. These can be fatal, especially if someone doesn’t seek treatment in time.

Flooding can contaminate food supplies through agricultural runoff or farming equipment used during cleanup efforts. It may also contain high levels of pathogens like feceal matter, which can spread through the air into homes. Residents with poor ventilation systems may breathe this air regularly and experience illness.

You might also like: The Link Between Climate Change and Disease Outbreaks

How to Protect Yourself From Floods

Flooding is a major concern in the US, so it’s important to know how to prevent severe damage. If you live near a flood-prone area, make sure to protect your home with waterproofing techniques such as:

• Using rubber sealant around windows and doors
• Installing a sump pump in your basement will automatically drain water from your house.
• Installing a drainage system in your yard that drains stormwater away from your home

Make sure to waterproof your basement or crawl spaces and seal any holes. Build up the ground around the perimeter of your home so water cannot pool up against it.

Flooding is a natural disaster that can be devastating and have a lasting impact on a community. The aftermath of a flood is often messy and chaotic, so it’s important to stay safe. The best way to avoid these negative impacts is to prepare for a flood before it happens.

You might also like: Flooding Will Hit Asia the Hardest: Report

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Flood Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on flood.

Flood is one of the most dangerous natural disasters. It happens when excessive water is collected in any area. It usually happens due to heavy rainfall. India is highly prone to flood. There are many regions in the country that face this natural disaster because of the overflowing of rivers. Moreover, it also happens because of the melting of snow. Another reason for floods is when the dam breaks down. If we look at the coastal areas, the hurricanes and tsunamis are held responsible for causing floods. In this essay on flood, we will see the prevention and after-affect of flood.

In other words, whatever the cause may be, it is equally dangerous. It has a lot of harmful consequences. Flood damages the living conditions and it takes a lot of time to recover from this disaster. Therefore, the consequences of floods must be known and steps must be taken to prevent it.

After-effects of Flood

Floods interrupt with the day to day functioning of the affected area. The severe floods sometimes cause mass destruction. A lot of people and animals lose their lives due to floods. Several others are injured. Floods also bring a rise in diseases. The stagnant water attracts mosquitoes causing malaria , dengue, and more illnesses.

Furthermore, people face power cuts due to the danger of electrocution. They also have to face expensive pricing. As the supply of food and goods gets limited, the prices naturally grow higher. This creates a big problem for the common man.

Most importantly, the whole country faces economic loss. The resources needed to rescue people and tackle this disaster demands a hefty amount. Plus, the citizens lose their houses and cars which they worked all their lives for.

Subsequently, floods also hamper the environment. It causes soil erosion and this degrades the quality of the soil. We lose out on fertile soil. Similarly, floods also damage flora and fauna. They damage crops and displace trees. Thus, the measure should be taken to avoid these grave consequences.

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Ways to Prevent flood

The government and citizens must work together to formulate ways to prevent floods. Proper awareness must be spread about the steps to take when floods occur. Warning systems must be set up so people get sufficient time to save themselves. In addition, areas that are more likely to have floods must have tall buildings above the flood level.

Other than that, dams must be constructed strongly. The use of cheap materials causes dams to break. The government must ensure there is a quality building of dams to prevent floods.

In short, we cannot prevent natural causes like rain and the melting of glaciers. However, we can stop the manmade causes like breaking of dams, poor drainage system, installing warning systems and more. We should take inspiration from countries like Singapore that never experience floods despite having heavy rainfall for most time of the year.

FAQ on Flood Essay

Q.1 what are the consequences of a flood.

A.1 Floods cause immense destruction. They are responsible for the loss of human and animal lives. People lose their homes and cars in floods. They also cause soil erosion and uproot of trees.

Q.2 How can we prevent floods?

A.2 Governments must take up certain measures to prevent floods. We can install flood warning systems. Make people aware of what to do in times of flood. Moreover, we can also build a proper drainage system that will ensure no waterlogging.

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The Many Effects of Flooding

Floods can be destructive to humans and the natural environment, but they also help to drive biodiversity and are essential to the functioning of many ecosystems.

Earth Science, Climatology, Geography, Physical Geography

1931 Yangtze River Flood

In 1931, water overwhelmed the banks of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, resulting in the Central China flood. Killing at least hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of people, it was one of the worst flooding events in recorded history. Here, people near the Yangtze River are shown.

Photograph from Adrienne Livesey, Elaine Ryder, and Irene Brien

It is hardly surprising that rivers have been an important part of human history: They provide food, freshwater, and fertile land for growing crops. While water is essential to life, it can be a destructive force too. When rivers flood, the effects can be catastrophic. Flooding is one of the most common types of natural disaster, and the results are often fatal. The Central China flood of 1931, for example, was one of the worst flooding events in recorded history. The Yangtze and Huai Rivers broke their banks, killing as many as several million people. The aftermath was devastating; deadly waterborne diseases like dysentery and cholera spread quickly, and those who survived faced the threat of starvation. The human cost of flooding can be large, but events like this have a big impact on the natural world too, and the effects are not always negative. In fact, some ecosystems rely on seasonal flooding to drive ecological processes. Floods Can Harm Wildlife Flooding can have a negative effect on wildlife, causing drowning, disease proliferation, and habitat destruction. In 2012, hundreds of animals, including many vulnerable one-horned rhinos ( Rhinoceros unicornis ), were killed in floods that swamped Kaziranga National Park in the Indian state of Assam. Unpredictable floods can be harmful even to aquatic life. For example, fish can be displaced and their nests destroyed.

Floods Cause Sedimentation and Erosion Floodwater can also alter the landscape, for instance, by eroding riverbanks and causing them to collapse. As floodwater carries material from the eroded banks, it suspends sediment in the water, which can degrade water quality and lead to harmful blooms of algae. Suspended sediment eventually settles out of the water in a process called sedimentation, which can clog riverbeds and streams, smother aquatic organisms, and destroy habitats. Erosion and sedimentation have a more negative impact on ecosystems that are already degraded or heavily modified. Floods Carry Contamination Floodwater can be contaminated with pollutants such as agricultural pesticides , industrial chemicals, debris, and sewage. If contaminated floodwater enters the ocean it can affect water quality and disrupt delicate ecosystems, such as coral reefs. In February 2019, marine biologists feared for the safety of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, a state in Australia, after it was inundated with polluted floodwater. Floods Spread Diseases Floods are the leading cause of weather-related infectious disease outbreaks. Flooding events increase the chance of spreading waterborne diseases, such as hepatitis A and cholera. Receding floodwater can create stagnant pools of water, which provide the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can transmit malaria and other diseases. Flood events also lead to an increase in some forms of  zoonosis , such as leptospirosis. Floods Carry Nutrients While floods bring hazards, they also bring nutrients and essential components for life. Seasonal floods can renew ecosystems, providing life-giving waters in more ways than one. Floods transport vital nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic material, to the surrounding land. When the water recedes, it leaves sediment and nutrients behind on the floodplain. This rich, natural fertilizer improves soil quality and has a positive effect on plant growth, thus increasing productivity in the ecosystem. Ancient civilizations first arose along the deltas of seasonally flooded rivers, such as the Nile in Egypt, because they provided fertile soil for farmland. Floods Recharge Groundwater Floods can replenish underground water sources. Floodwater gets absorbed into the ground then percolates through layers of soil and rock, eventually reaching underground aquifers . These aquifers supply clean freshwater to springs, wells, lakes, and rivers. Ecosystems rely heavily on groundwater during dry spells when it may be the only supply of freshwater available. A good supply of groundwater has a positive impact on soil health and leads to more productive crop and pasture lands. Floods Can Trigger Breeding Events and Migrations Floods can trigger breeding events, migrations, and dispersal in some species. In 2016, thousands of water birds flocked to the Macquarie Marshes in the Australian state of New South Wales. Flooding had filled their wetland habitat for the first time in years, triggering a mass breeding event. In Cambodia, monsoon rains cause an annual flood pulse on the Mekong River that prompts migrations for some animals. The floodwaters cause the Tonle Sap river, which connects the Mekong River to Tonle Sap lake, to reverse its flow, filling the lake. When floodwater enters the lake, it triggers fish migrations, supporting one of the world’s most productive fisheries. Floods Can Boost Fish Stocks Small seasonal floods can be beneficial to native fish stocks and can help those fish outcompete invasive species that are not adapted to the river’s cycles. Sediment deposited on riverbeds during floods can provide a nursery site for small fish. Nutrients carried by floodwater can support aquatic food webs by boosting productivity. Floods Bring Life to Wetlands Wetlands are an extremely important ecosystem; approximately 40 percent of the world’s species rely on them. They filter water, mitigate flooding, and act as a carbon sink . The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site and one of the world’s largest, most important wetland habitats. The river captures rainfall from far to the north in the highlands of Angola. This causes a flood pulse that replenishes the wetlands at the height of the dry season, providing a lush oasis in the Kalahari Desert. National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes, with a team of scientists and Explorers, has participated in a series of expeditions to trace the Okavango from source to sand to protect the waters of this unique habitat. Floods are a force of nature, and their consequences, both positive and negative, are strongly felt by affected ecosystems. Floods can be destructive to humans and the natural environment, but they also help to drive biodiversity and are essential to the functioning of many ecosystems. Whether you regard floods as good or bad, one thing is for certain: The world would be a very different place without them.

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Related Resources

A flood happens when water overflows or soaks land that is normally dry. There are few places on Earth where people don’t need to be concerned about flooding.

Ecology, Earth Science, Geology, Engineering, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography, World History

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A flood happens when water overflows or soaks land that is normally dry. There are few places on Earth where people don’t need to be concerned about flooding. Generally, floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents time to prepare or evacuate . Sometimes, floods develop quickly and with little warning. A flood can develop in a many ways. The most common is when rivers or streams overflow their banks . These floods are called riverine floods . Heavy rain , a broken dam or levee , rapid icemelt in the mountains, or even a beaver dam in a vulnerable spot can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over nearby land. The land surrounding a river is called a flood plain . Coastal flooding , also called estuarine flooding , happens when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to rush inland . Floods are the second-most widespread natural disaster on Earth, after wildfires . All 50 states of the United States are vulnerable to flooding. Effects of Floods When floodwaters recede , affected areas are often blanketed in silt and mud. This sediment can be full of nutrients , benefiting farmers and agribusinesses in the area. Famously fertile flood plains like the Mississippi River valley in the American Midwest, the Nile River valley in Egypt, and the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East have supported agriculture for thou sands of years. Yearly flooding has left millions of tons of nutrient-rich soil behind. However, floods have enormous destructive power. When a river overflows its banks or the sea moves inland, many structures are unable to withstand the force of the water. Bridges, houses, trees, and cars can be picked up and carried off. Floods erode soil, taking it from under a building's foundation , causing the building to crack and tumble. Severe flooding in Bangladesh in July 2007 led to more than a million homes being damaged or destroyed. Floods can cause even more damage when their waters recede. The water and landscape can be contaminated with hazardous materials, such as sharp debris , pesticides , fuel , and untreated sewage . Potentially dangerous mold can quickly overwhelm water-soaked structures. As flood water spreads, it carries disease . Flood victims can be left for weeks without clean water for drinking or hygiene . This can lead to outbreaks of deadly diseases like typhoid , malaria , hepatitis A, and cholera . This happened in 2000, as hundreds of people in Mozambique fled to refugee camps after the Limpopo River flooded their homes. They soon fell ill and died from cholera, which is spread by unsanitary conditions, and malaria, spread by mosquitoes that thrived on the swollen river banks. In the United States, floods are responsible for an average of nearly 100 deaths every year, and cause about $7.5 billion in damage. China's Yellow River valley has seen some of the world's worst floods in the past 100 years. The 1931 Yellow River flood is one of the most devastating natural disasters ever recorded—almost a million people drowned, and even more were left homeless. Natural Causes of Floods Floods occur naturally. They are part of the water cycle , and the environment is adapted to flooding. Wetlands along river banks, lakes , and estuaries absorb flood waters. Wetland vegetation , such as trees, grasses, and sedges , slow the speed of flood waters and more evenly distribute their energy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , the wetlands along the Mississippi River once stored at least 60 days of flood water. (Today, Mississippi wetlands store only 12 days of flood water. Most wetlands have been filled or drained.) Floods can also devastate an environment. The most vulnerable regions are those that experience frequent floods and those that have not flooded for many years. In the first case, the environment does not have time to recover between floods. In the second case, the environment may not be able to adapt to flood conditions. In August 2010, Pakistan experienced some of the worst floods of the century . The annual monsoon , on which Pakistani farmers and consumers rely, was unusually strong. Tons of water drenched the nation. The Indus River burst its banks. Because the river flows almost directly through the narrow country, almost all of Pakistan was affected by flooding. Millions of Pakistanis lost their homes, and almost 2,000 died in the floods. The province of Punjab, the country’s agricultural center, was particularly devastated. Rice, wheat, and corn crops were destroyed. The impact of the floods continued long after the monsoon dwindled and the Indus subsided . Pakistanis experienced food shortages, power outages, and loss of infrastructure . Outbreaks of cholera and malaria developed near resettlement camps. Experts estimated that the rebuilding effort would cost up to $15 billion. Sometimes, floods are triggered by other natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. In January 2011, a major earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The quake triggered a massive tsunami, its crest reaching as high as 40 meters (131 feet). The tsunami crashed more than 10 kilometers (six miles) inland, flooding homes, businesses, schools, parks, hospitals, and the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant . A dam holding a reservoir burst, triggering another flood that destroyed homes. Rain that accompanies hurricanes and cyclones can quickly flood coastal areas. The rise in sea level that occurs during these storms is called a storm surge . A storm surge is a type of coastal flood. They can be devastating. The storm surge that accompanied the 1970 Bhola cyclone flooded the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta in India and Bangladesh. More than 500,000 people were killed, and twice that number were left homeless. The strong winds associated with hurricanes and cyclones can also whip up and move huge amounts of water, forcing a storm surge far inland. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought huge amounts of wind and rain to the Gulf Coast of the United States. The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, was particularly hard-hit. The storm surge from Hurricane Katrina caused some of the city’s levees to break. Levees protect New Orleans from the Mississippi River. The river rushed in and flooded entire neighborhoods . Hundreds of people drowned, and the storm did more than $100 billion in damage. Artificial Causes of Floods Floods can also have artificial sources. Many man-made floods are intentional and controlled. Rice farmers, for instance, rely on flooded fields. Rice is a semi-aquatic crop—it grows in water. After rice seedlings are planted, farmers flood their fields, called rice paddies, in about 15 to 25 centimeters (six to 10 inches) of water. Rice paddies must be carefully engineered to allow controlled flooding. Strong dikes or levees, as well as regulated channels for irrigation , are required. Sometimes, engineers flood an area to restore an ecosystem . In 2008, the U.S.'s Grand Canyon was deliberately flooded. Water was released from dams on the Colorado River , which runs through the Grand Canyon. In 20 minutes, enough water was released from a dam at Lake Powell, Utah, to fill up the Empire State Building. Hydrologists , engineers, and environmentalists hoped that flooding the canyon would help redistribute sediment—which had been blocked up by dams—and create sandbars . Sandbars provide a wildlife habitat , often serving as a shallow bridge for animals such as beavers and bighorn sheep to cross from one side of the river to the other. Dams control the natural flood plains of lakes and rivers. Hydrologists may intentionally flood areas to prevent damage to the dam or increase the water supply for agriculture, industry , or consumer use. Engineers may also intentionally flood areas to prevent the possibility of worse flooding. When heavy rains caused the Souris River to flood in 2011, for example, the water level nearly reached the top of the Alameda Reservoir in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, Canada. Faced with the prospect of catastrophic flooding if the entire dam broke, engineers chose to release huge amounts of water. The reservoir remained intact , but the release contributed to massive floods in both Saskatchewan and the U.S. city of Minot, North Dakota. Not all man-made floods are intentional, however. The natural banks of rivers and streams shrink as people develop land nearby. River banks are valuable real estate for housing, businesses, and industry. From Shanghai, China, to San Antonio, Texas, U.S., rivers are the sites of busy urban areas . In rural areas, factories use river currents to distribute runoff . To accommodate such development , river banks are paved with hard, non-porous materials. Soils and plants are replaced with concrete and asphalt , which can’t absorb water. An unusual amount of rain can cause these rivers to quickly overrun their concrete banks. Australia is conducting an investigation of Brisbane’s development decisions after the Brisbane River overran its banks and flooded the country’s capital in 2011. Streets, downtown business districts, and bridges were destroyed. Water reached the third row of seats in the city’s rugby stadium. The flood waters were high enough at two meters (six feet) that bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) were spotted swimming up major streets. Concrete banks also increase the amount of runoff flowing to nearby bodies of water. This increases the risk of coastal flooding. Venice, Italy, for instance, is frequently flooded as tides from the Adriatic Sea seep into the heavily developed islands on which the city rests.

Hydrologists, engineers, and city planners constantly work to reduce flood damage. Shrubs and plants create buffers to prevent runoff from seeping into flood plains, urban areas, or other bodies of water. The thick vegetation between a river and a flood plain is called a riparian zone . Despite their efforts, people can also radically fail to control floods. The most famous flood in American history, the Johnstown Flood , was an artificial disaster. The tragedy killed 2,209 people and made headlines around the country. Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S., was on a floodplain at the meeting of the Stony Creek and Little Conemaugh rivers. As more people moved to the city, the banks of the rivers were paved and narrowed, causing yearly flooding. Residents were prepared for this. They watched the river and moved their belongings upstairs or onto rooftops as the city flooded. However, residents were not prepared for the additional flood from an entire lake. Located in nearby mountains, Lake Conemaugh was a reservoir created by the South Fork Dam. The lake was an exclusive retreat for members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which owned the dam. Lake Conemaugh contained 20 million tons of water. On May 31, 1889, the dam broke and the water rushed down the river at 64 kilometers (40 miles) per hour. Johnstown’s leading industry was steel production, and the flood waters quickly became choked with industrial debris—steel cables , chemical solvents , glass, rail cars. The flood destroyed a wire factory, filling the water with tons of barbed wire . About 80 people died when floating wreckage caught fire. Rebuilding Johnstown took years—the bodies of some victims were not found until 20 years later. Although the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club failed to maintain the dam, members of the club successfully argued that the disaster was an “ act of God .” Flood Classification Disaster experts classify floods according to their likelihood of occurring in a given time period. The most common classifications are a 10-year flood, a 50-year flood, and a 100-year flood . A 100-year flood, for example, is an extremely large, destructive event that would be expected to happen only once every century. But this is only an estimate. What “100-year flood” actually means is that there is a 1 percent chance that such a flood could happen in any given year. In recent decades, 100-year floods have occurred more frequently. This may be due to global warming , the current period of climate change . The Red River, which flows along the border of North Dakota and Minnesota, chronically floods. Anything over 8.5 meters (28 feet) is considered “ flood stage ” in the area. In 1997, the river crested at almost 12 meters (40 feet), a record level. In 2009, the record was beaten as the river flooded again, reaching a height of almost 12.5 meters (40.8 feet). The river flooded for 61 days. Flash floods can develop within hours of heavy rainfall. Flash floods can be extremely dangerous, instantly turning a babbling brook into a thundering wall of water that sweeps away everything in its path. Most deaths from flooding occur as a result of flash floods. Flash floods do not have a system for classifying their magnitude . Deserts are vulnerable to flash floods. Wadis and arroyos are dry river beds that only flow during heavy rains. Wadis can be dangerous during flash floods because they rarely have riparian zones to slow the flood’s energy. The city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, developed on the site of several wadis, and floods are frequent after heavy rains. More than 100 people died in flash floods in Jeddah in 2009. The floods developed so quickly that many victims drowned in their cars as streets became submerged . Predicting Floods Today, hydrologists study past flood patterns to help predict where and when floods will happen in the future. The predictions are only estimates, however. Weather , land, and climate can all change. An area’s soil and groundwater provide clues about flooding. Pedologists , or soil scientists, work with hydrologists to determine how much water a region’s earth can absorb. Agricultural soil, for instance, can absorb much more water than sand or bare rock . Groundwater is water already in the earth—in soil, underground reservoirs called aquifers , and even porous rocks. The type of soil and the amount of groundwater tells hydrologists how much more water the earth can absorb. Determining the amount of runoff in an area can also provide clues about the possibility of flooding. Runoff happens when there is more water than soil can absorb. Excess water overflows and runs on top of the land. Runoff can come from natural processes, such as icemelt. It can also come from human activity, such as excess irrigation, sewage, and industrial waste. Controlling runoff can help control floods. Hydrologists work with meteorologists to evaluate snowfall and snowpack . Melting snow contributes to runoff and increases groundwater levels. When snow melts quickly, the ground may not have time to absorb the water. Snowfall is one of the biggest contributors to flooding, and cannot always be predicted. Rapid snowmelt in the Andes Mountains, for example, creates mudslides and floods that disable railways and bridges. In 2010, snowmelt flooding trapped 4,000 tourists in towns near the remote historic site of Machu Picchu, Peru, for two days. Modern technology helps researchers predict floods. Doppler radar , for example, shows scientists where a storm is most severe. Doppler uses motion to detect weather patterns and create computerized images of rainfall. Automated gauges placed in rivers measure the height and speed of river currents, and the amount of rain received. Geographic information system (GIS) maps made with this information help scientists warn people if a river will overrun its banks and flood areas nearby. Preventing Floods For thousands of years, people have tried to prevent and control floods. Yu the Great , for example, is a legendary figure in Chinese history. Around 2100 B.C.E., Yu developed a way to control the devastating floods of the Yellow River. Yu studied data from previous Yellow River floods, noting where the flow was the strongest and flood plains were most vulnerable. Instead of damming the river, Yu dredged it—he and a team of engineers made river channels deeper to accommodate more water. Yu also oversaw the construction of numerous irrigation canals , which diverted the flow of the river’s mainstem during times of flooding. It’s not always possible to prevent floods, but it is often possible to minimize flood damage. Structures around rivers, lakes, and the sea can contain flood waters. Levees, runoff canals , and reservoirs can stop water from overflowing. Levees are usually made of earth. They are built by piling soil, sand, or rocks near a river’s banks. Levees may also be made of blocks of wood, plastic, or metal. They may even be reinforced by concrete. Levees in New Orleans, for example, use compacted earth, wooden beams, iron rebar , steel pilings, and concrete to hold back the mighty Mississippi River. Runoff canals are man-made channels. These structures are connected to rivers and direct excess water away from buildings and residences. One of the first canals in North America was constructed in about 200 B.C.E. to control the seasonal flood waters of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, U.S. Today, southern Florida is criss-crossed by runoff canals that redirect the flow of the Everglades , the “River of Grass” that runs from Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. These canals redirect flood water away from urban areas in southern Florida and toward irrigation canals primarily used for fields of sugar cane . Natural and artificial reservoirs help prevent flooding. Natural reservoirs are basins where fresh water collects. Man-made reservoirs collect water behind a dam. They can hold more water in times of heavy rainfall. In April 2011, the government of Ethiopia announced plans for a large dam on the Blue Nile River. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which would be the largest dam in Africa, would create a reservoir capable of holding 67 billion cubic meters (2.4 trillion cubic feet) of water. The dam would prevent flooding downstream and provide the nation with hydroelectric energy . Conserving wetlands also reduces the impact of floods. Wetlands provide a natural barrier, acting as a giant sponge for storm surges and flood plains. The swamps and bayous of America's southern Louisiana and Mississippi, for instance, protect inland areas from both coastal and riverine flooding. Wetlands absorb the storm surge from hurricanes that hit the area from the Gulf of Mexico. Wetland riparian zones that line the Mississippi River protect fertile flood plains as the river overflows its banks. Many governments mandate that residents of flood- prone areas purchase flood insurance and build flood-resistant structures. Massive efforts to mitigate and redirect floods have resulted in some of the most ambitious engineering efforts ever seen. The Thames Barrier is one of the largest flood-control projects in the world. The Thames Barrier protects the urban area of London, England, from floods from storm surges that rush up the River Thames from the Atlantic Ocean. A series of 10 steel gates span the river near London’s Woolrich district. Each gate can hold back 9,000 tons of water, and disappears into the river when the water is calm. Perhaps the most extensive and sophisticated flood-prevention program is the Zuiderzee Works in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a low-lying nation that is plagued by coastal flooding from the North Sea. Beginning in the 1200s, the Dutch began to erect a series of massive dikes and levees on its coast. In the 1900s, Dutch engineers worked to isolate and dam an entire inlet of the North Sea, the Zuiderzee. The largest part of the Zuiderzee Works is the Afsluitdijk , a 32-kilometer (20-mile) dike that cuts off the Zuiderzee from the North Sea. In addition to protecting the Netherlands from flooding, the Zuiderzee Works has drained parts of the Zuiderzee for development.

Apres Moi, le Deluge "After me, the flood" (in French, " apres moi, le deluge ") is a phrase attributed to the French King Louis XV or his mistress, Madame de Pompadour. The phrase is a casual way of expressing irresponsibility, something like "When I leave a project, I don't care if a catastrophe happens. It no longer concerns me."

London Beer Flood In 1814, vats containing 1.47 million liters (388,333 gallons) of beer spilled in the St. Giles area of London, England. Several homes and businesses were destroyed, and seven people drowned.

Costliest U.S. Floods As of July 2011, according to the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA): Hurricane Katrina (2005) $16.2 billion Hurricane Ike (2008) $2.6 billion Hurricane Ivan (2004) $1.2 billion Tropical Storm Allison (1989) $1.1 billion Louisiana Flood (1995) $585 million

Flood Myths Stories about great, Earth-drowning floods are common throughout world cultures. Many stories are remarkably similar: A deity warns a virtuous man about a catastrophic flood. The man builds a large boat, saving himself, his family, animals, and plants from the flood, which destroys the rest of Earth. Eventually, the man releases two birds to see if they bring back vegetation (which can only grow in soil). A bird returns, and human civilization is saved. The most famous version of this flood myth is probably the story of Noah, recorded in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. Another version is the Mesopotamian legend of Utnapishtim, recorded in the Legend of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest works of literature, predating the Torah by more than a thousand years. The Maasai legend of Tumbainot, the Altai myth of Nama, and the Hawaiian myth of Nuu are all remarkably similar.

Flood as a War Tactic In 1937, the Chinese government destroyed the dike at Huayuankou, on the Yellow River, to stop the Japanese invasion. The invasion continued by a different route, but the environmental devastation of the flooding was immense. At least 800,000 people drowned, and more than a million were made homeless. More than a thousand square kilometers of farmland was underwater. Flooding changed the course of the Yellow River to such an extent that its mouth moved dozens of kilometers to the south. Ten years later, the dike at Huayuankou was rebuilt and the Yellow River resumed its previous course.

Boston Molasses Flood In 1919, an 8.7 million-liter (2.3 million-gallon) tank of molasses exploded in the North End area of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The wave of molasses crested as high as three meters (10 feet) and moved as quickly as 56 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour). A train was lifted off its tracks, and 21 people died. Six months later, Boston Harbor remained brown with molasses.

"The Hero of Haarlem" A popular story concerns a young boy from the town of Haarlem, Netherlands, who notices a leak in the town's dike. The Spaarne River is flowing through a tiny hole in the barrier, threatening to flood the town. The young boy plugs the leak with his finger, and stays there all night. Adults find him the next morning and permanently repair the leak. Although first written about by an American (Mary Mapes Dodge, in her book Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates ), the story is from the Netherlands. The story has been changed and retold many times. In most versions, the dike is holding back the North Sea, not a river. In some versions of the story, the young boy freezes to death during his all-night stay at the dike.

Toxic Flood There are many examples of toxic materials, from pig manure to coal slurry, flooding communities. One of the most unusual was the 2010 rupture of a chemical storage tank at an aluminum factory in Ajka, Hungary. The bright-red sludge was responsible for at least four deaths, as well as the relocation of hundreds of Hungarians. The toxic sludge, which included lead and arsenic, was eventually diluted by the Danube River.

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Flood Defenses

Advantages & Disadvantages of Constructing Dams

Flooding can result in significant damage to the economy, environment, infrastructure and property. Flooding can be caused by small watercourses, direct surface runoff, the ocean, rivers and below ground drainage systems. There are many different types of flood defenses that have been developed over the years to protect against flooding. The managing of flood risk and the development and implementation of flood defenses has both advantages and disadvantages.

While flood defenses can be effective at protecting property and resources, they can also be very expensive to install and maintain. For instance, a 3-foot section of sea wall costs approximately $10,000. If this sea wall can prevent millions of dollars in damage each year, then the potential damage may outweigh the cost. However, if the area is not prone to flood damage, the cost may not be justified.

Many types of flood defenses, such as sea walls, offshore bar and rock revetments, provide significant protection to a coastline. In particular, they can deflect waves, absorb wave energy, protect the base of cliffs and stop beach erosion. These flood defenses protect homes in flood zones and decrease the rate of erosion, preventing foundation and structural damage in the long run. They also save money in terms of roadway infrastructure.

Natural Habitats

While flood defenses do protect homes, roads and cities, they also provide protection to natural habitats. Many shorelines are conservation areas, and flood defenses help preserve these areas. Several types of flood defenses, mainly those that are classified as natural systems, promote biodiversity. Wetlands that function as flood plains support a wide range of birds while ponds support newts, leeches and wading birds.

Economic Benefits

While flood defenses can be expensive to construct and maintain, there are several economic benefits to be had. By establishing floodplains and wetland systems to divert flood water, new economic possibilities develop. These wetlands can support tourism and freshwater fisheries. Wetlands also play an important role in water resources as these areas store and filter water pollutants. When floodplains are not full of water, they can grow grass and be used as grazing areas.

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About the Author

Liz Tomas began writing professionally in 2004. Her work has appeared in the "American Journal of Enology and Viticulture," "BMC Genomics" and "PLoS Biology." She holds a Master of Science in food science from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in oenology at Lincoln University.

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Essay on Flood for Students and Children in 1000+ Words

In this post read an Essay on Flood (Natural Disaster) for Students and Children in 1000+ Words.

Table of Contents

Essay on Flood (1000+ Words)

This essay includes what is flood?, its causes, effect, and preventive measures.

What is Flood?

A flood is a natural disaster that arises due to excessive runoff of water in the rivers due to rainfall . This causes the water of rivers to come out from the edges and flow into the plains. Floods can last from a few hours to a few days, but it can cause great harm to people, money and crops.

Causes of Flood

Among the most severe natural hazards are floods. This happens in every environment where excessive water is stored. Generally, it is heavy rainfall. In India, there is a strong probability of floods.

Due to heavy river rains, several places in the world face natural disaster . Besides, the breaking of the dam is another cause of a flood. Furthermore, this is also triggered by melting ice.

If we aim at coastal regions, floods are liable for hurricanes or tsunamis. We should look at flood avoidance and its long term side-effects throughout this essay about floods. Nevertheless, it really is equally risky, but whatever cause might be.

This has some negative effects. Floods cause harm to living conditions or recovery from this tragedy takes a very long time. The effects of flooding should therefore be understood, and steps should be taken to avoid them.

Effect of Flood

The day-to-day operation of the flood-affected region was disrupted. Extreme floods cause immense devastation often. Owing to flooding, many individuals, or animals risk their lives. Many more are being wounded. Floods raise illnesses, as well. Stagnant weather, due to malaria, dengue, and much more illnesses, attracts insects.

Moreover, due to electrical risks, individuals face power outages. They face expensive costs, too. Prices inevitably rise as the availability of food and products become reduced.

This, for the average man, is a big issue. Most significantly, economic losses are suffered by the entire world. To save lives and deal with this tragedy, a huge amount of resources are needed. At the very same time, people are losing their homes or their vehicles, which they have dedicated all their lives to.

Floods also ultimately damage the climate. This triggers soil erosion which degrades the consistency of the soil. On a fertile planet, we are destroyed.

Floods also do damage to fauna and flora in the same way. Crops are destroyed, & trees are displaced. Steps to prevent these serious effects should also be taken.

Ways to Prevent flood

To devise solutions to avoid flooding, government and people must work together. Proper knowledge of these steps can be taken and disseminated in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

In order for people to get enough time to defend themselves, an alert system must be established. Furthermore, areas more vulnerable to flooding must have elevated buildings just above the point of flooding.

In addition, an effective system for processing excessive water due to bad weather should be usable. Excess water can avoid this. Reinforcing the drainage scheme is among the most critical steps. This will eliminate water-logging, to prevent flooding.

The dams must, however, be heavily built. The use of inexpensive materials breaks dams must be applied and government should ensure that the efficiency of dams is designed to stop flooding.

We have split the causes of floods into two stages viz: organic and inorganic floods. First, natural floods would be addressed.

Natural floods

Floods are called natural floods due to natural factors.

1. Excess of rain –  often at one location there is a lot of constant rainfall due to that there is water logging all over, and it comes in the form of flooding in a certain period.

2. Cloud Burst  -A large volume of water that flows in the next few hours due to bursting of a cloud, because from which the water flows at a high pace as well as a flood situation occurs, the clouds mainly burst and in mountain terrain. Due to thunderstorm, the Uttarakhand region is flooded every other year in their region.

3. Melting of ice from the glacier- The glaciers are starting to melt even more snow owing to the increase in the Earth’s temperature that causes the water to fall from the mountains at a high velocity so this water has become so high. That one can easily knock out every town or village and fully submerge it.

4. When rivers are overflowing-  A significant volume of drainage into the rivers is caused by excess rainfall and melting snow, allowing the water to abandon its course and flow around rather than flood its lowlands of cities and villages near the river , it goes.

5. Sea Flood – A tsunami is often considered the first flood of water. This happens when in certain areas of a sea, a cyclonic storm or even a powerful earthquake happens, due to that, high waves increase, or the seawater floods the villages and cities. This refers to areas for flooding. Because of this, many coastal communities of the sea are impacted very badly. Sea storm waves could be as higher than 10 feet, and that’s much more than the height of every building.

Unnatural floods

The work undertaken by human’s triggers unnatural floods are:

1. Dam Breakdown – Large reservoirs are designed for water storage by humans; however, the dam is not reinforced due of corruption and bad design that breaks up a dam full of thousands of liters of water in the next few years.

There is a heavy flow of water with this and the areas from around the dam were covered in water. Suddenly, the ward arrives, so citizens do not get an opportunity to regain, and there is further loss of life or property.

2. Flooding due to Global Warming – Global Warming This scenario has been produced by humans just because humans are harvesting indiscriminate trees, and also spreading a huge amount of pollution .

Since the global climate is rising while at the same time that Earth’s climate is also shifting because there is a lot of rain for certain areas, there is a lot of rain in certain areas and because of the increase in the temperature of the Earth, the ice mostly on glaciers Millions of liters of water accumulated in the form begins to melt because of the water crisis.

3. Plastic pollution – A large volume of plastic is often used in India, and this plastic is dumped in such open areas, however, this plastic is stuck in the hair created to drain the water because the water may not get in the hair when it rains as well as the flood situation occurs.

10 Lines on Flood

• The flood is an immense quantity of water that overflows covering a wide region that causes damage.
• Not only is the flood devastating a vast city, but it also takes several lives or destroys property.
• Each year, many regions of the world are hit by flooding, taking lots of lives.
• Lead to increasing rainfall or a lack of proper sewage system inside an area, flooding occurs. 
• In an area that causes double harm, floods often occur like an after-effect of a horrible cyclone.
• The farmers have to be the worst impacted citizens of the flood as flood kills their fields and also their land’s productivity.
• Flood water obtained at a specific location allows individuals to have different kinds of diseases.
• When the flood situation is serious, all the stores are closed, affecting the availability of essential products.
• In order to reduce the effects of flooding, the government must develop a strong drainage system.
• Early warning implementation must be carried out, and individuals are sent to safe areas until floods occur.

In short, natural factors, such as rain or melting glaciers, could not be avoided. We may escape human-made triggers, however, like dam breakage, bad drainage systems, installation of alarm systems, and much more. We must draw inspiration in countries such as Singapore that, for much of the year, do not experience floods despite heavy rain.

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• Environmental Chemistry

Causes of Flood

Many things can cause a flood. The sudden melting of snow and ice produce river and lake floods. Flash floods are caused by too much rain in the mountains and in cities. Flash floods happen when heavy rain causes a lot of water to gather in a narrow space.

The effect of flooding on the value of property will cause real estate to plummet in a city. The first thing that people look for in cities and suburban areas is secure, disaster-free areas that are not near earthquake zones or vulnerable to flooding. Owing to inadequate public planning or exposure to bodies of water, there are areas or areas that are more vulnerable to floods.

What Causes Floods?

A flood is a water body that occupies ground that is ordinarily dry. Floods are widespread natural phenomena that can affect millions of people worldwide. Drinking water can also be polluted by flooding and contribute to illnesses. They are mostly caused by rivers, but floods can also occur from flooding lakes and seas.

When the dam bursts, the flood can take various forms, such as in the form of heavy rainfall. In addition, the loss of snow also contributes to floods. Floods add to an excessive and immense spread of water, but are not considered healthy for drinking purposes.

What are the Effects of Flood?

A flood happens when water from a river , lake , or ocean overflows onto the land around it . Too much rain or melting snow are the main causes of floods . Sometimes the soil in the ground can make a flood worse.

This is because when rain falls, the soil usually soaks it up like a sponge. But when the soil can’t soak up any more water., it will send extra water into a river. THis happens a lot during the winter because frozen soil can’t soak up water. Floods often happen when the warm weather of spring melts snow before the ground has time to thaw.

Environmental Effects of Flooding

Environmental impacts of floods and flood defence measures have only been addressed relatively recently. From the environmental point of view, floods are natural events, which bring both adverse and beneficial environmental effects. Seasonal flooding of the environment is a natural feedback mechanism serving to replenish floodplains and sustain their ecosystems . However, in most major major river basins, this natural feedback has been modified by humans, through catchment development, implementation of flood management projects and most recently climate change.

Flood destruction is instantaneous. Lives are lost, belongings are destroyed and crops are destroyed when rural areas are affected. Flooding does collateral harm, interferes with economic operations and does a lack of food. The consequences of floods on the value of land can lead to a decline in real estate value in areas that appear to experience flooding issues. There would be regions that are more vulnerable to flood problems. The flood issues in these areas improve their already deteriorated status.

Positive Effects of Floods

In the case of floods the results show the opposite cumulative effects; moderate floods have a positive impact on growth and severe floods a negative one. This is consistent with Fomby et al.’s finding that moderate floods have lasting positive effects on growth, while severe ones have a negative effect. They argue that moderate floods have a beneficial effect on growth through higher land productivity. However, the moderate floods have an initial negative effect, although not statistically significant.

The impact of deforestation and land use changes on the risk and severity of floods are the subjects of controversy. In evaluating the effect of Himalayan deforestation on the Ganges-Brahmaputra Lowlands, it was observed that, in the case of a severe weather occurrence, forests would not have stopped or greatly decreased floods. More general or outline research, however, agrees on the negative effects of deforestation on flood protection and the positive effects of wise land usage and reforestation.

Frequently Asked Questions on Causes of Flood

What happens during a flood.

Flooding is an overflow of water on usually dry land. During heavy rainfall, flooding can happen when ocean waves arrive on land, when snow melts rapidly, or when dams or levees fall. When excessive rainfall exceeds the ground’s ability to contain it, flash floods occur.

What is flood and its causes and effects?

A flood is a water body that occupies ground that is ordinarily dry. Floods are widespread natural phenomena that can affect millions of people worldwide. … Drinking water can also be polluted by flooding and contribute to illnesses. They are mostly caused by rivers, but floods can also occur from flooding lakes and seas.

What are the environmental impacts of floods?

Flooding has a number of environmental effects, including the degradation of animal habitats by floodwater. Rivers and wetlands may be polluted by tainted flood water. Plants on farms can be destroyed by silt and sediment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of flooding?

Floods can carry benefits to an environment as well as drawbacks. Rich , fertile alluvium can be accumulated in agricultural areas by flooding. Flood water will also replenish channels for irrigation. Floods, on the other hand, will damage food sources, homes and transport services.

Why is flood dangerous?

Infectious diseases can also spread by standing flood waters, include environmental hazards, and cause casualties. Flooding causes more deaths per year than any other thunderstorm-related risk. When a car is pushed into dangerous flood waters, the most frequent flood deaths result.

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With flood threats, Justice adds six more counties to state of emergency declaration

Gov. Jim Justice has added seven counties to a state of emergency declaration because of flooding and ongoing storm-related threats.

The additions include Barbour, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Wetzel and Wood counties. The governor had already declared emergency for Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Nicholas counties on Tuesday after severe thunderstorms caused flooding, downed trees, power outages, and road blockages.

Justice also issued a State of Preparedness for all 55 counties on Tuesday, and it is still in effect.

Heavy rains and powerful winds earlier this week knocked down trees and damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure — particularly in the Kanawha Valley. Power was knocked out for more than 120,000 residents early in the storm cycle, and crews have been working steadily to restore service.

As rain has continued, flooding has been a danger across an even wider range of the state.

Justice on Wednesday, said he knows people over a wide swath of territory have been affected. He said his advisers are evaluating the appropriate response. At the time, he suggested the state of emergency could be broadened as knowledge of the situation developed.

“We don’t want to pass out states of emergency on everything all over the place all the time. We surely, absolutely understand wholeheartedly that we have a continual request and we’re going through the evaluation of ‘Do we broaden the state of emergency?’” he said.

“But really and truly, we want to do it and we want to be prudent about how we do this. We can add others at a later time.”

National Weather Service meteorologist Nick Webb described flood threats Thursday on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”

“The Ohio River is up, and unfortunately it’s got a ways to go,” Webb said. “River flood warnings are up from the northern panhandle counties down through Willow Island, Marietta-Parkersburg, Belleville, Racine locks, Pomeroy and Point Pleasant. And up and down there, most locations can expect at least a moderate flood.”

West Virginia’s northern panhandle could be particularly hard hit by high water, he said. The heaviest flooding was expected tonight but could extend into Friday morning.

“We’re already up really high,” Webb said, “and we’ve still got a ways to go.”

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Jessica Grose

Screens are everywhere in schools. do they actually help kids learn.

By Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

A few weeks ago, a parent who lives in Texas asked me how much my kids were using screens to do schoolwork in their classrooms. She wasn’t talking about personal devices. (Smartwatches and smartphones are banned in my children’s schools during the school day, which I’m very happy about; I find any argument for allowing these devices in the classroom to be risible.) No, this parent was talking about screens that are school sanctioned, like iPads and Chromebooks issued to children individually for educational activities.

I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t answer her question because I had never asked or even thought about asking. Partly because the Covid-19 era made screens imperative in an instant — as one ed-tech executive told my colleague Natasha Singer in 2021, the pandemic “sped the adoption of technology in education by easily five to 10 years.” In the early Covid years, when my older daughter started using a Chromebook to do assignments for second and third grade, I was mostly just relieved that she had great teachers and seemed to be learning what she needed to know. By the time she was in fifth grade and the world was mostly back to normal, I knew she took her laptop to school for in-class assignments, but I never asked for specifics about how devices were being used. I trusted her teachers and her school implicitly.

In New York State, ed tech is often discussed as an equity problem — with good reason: At home, less privileged children might not have access to personal devices and high-speed internet that would allow them to complete digital assignments. But in our learn-to-code society, in which computer skills are seen as a meal ticket and the humanities as a ticket to the unemployment line, there seems to be less chatter about whether there are too many screens in our kids’ day-to-day educational environment beyond the classes that are specifically tech focused. I rarely heard details about what these screens are adding to our children’s literacy, math, science or history skills.

And screens truly are everywhere. For example, according to 2022 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about 8 percent of eighth graders in public schools said their math teachers “never or hardly ever” used computers or digital devices to teach math, 37 percent said their math teachers used this technology half or more than half the time, and 44 percent said their math teachers used this technology all or most of the time.

As is often the case with rapid change, “the speed at which new technologies and intervention models are reaching the market has far outpaced the ability of policy researchers to keep up with evaluating them,” according to a dazzlingly thorough review of the research on education technology by Maya Escueta, Andre Joshua Nickow, Philip Oreopoulos and Vincent Quan published in The Journal of Economic Literature in 2020.

Despite the relative paucity of research, particularly on in-class use of tech, Escueta and her co-authors put together “a comprehensive list of all publicly available studies on technology-based education interventions that report findings from studies following either of two research designs, randomized controlled trials or regression discontinuity designs.”

They found that increasing access to devices didn’t always lead to positive academic outcomes. In a couple of cases, it just increased the amount of time kids were spending on devices playing games. They wrote, “We found that simply providing students with access to technology yields largely mixed results. At the K-12 level, much of the experimental evidence suggests that giving a child a computer may have limited impacts on learning outcomes but generally improves computer proficiency and other cognitive outcomes.”

Some of the most promising research is around computer-assisted learning, which the researchers defined as “computer programs and other software applications designed to improve academic skills.” They cited a 2016 randomized study of 2,850 seventh-grade math students in Maine who used an online homework tool. The authors of that study “found that the program improved math scores for treatment students by 0.18 standard deviations. This impact is particularly noteworthy, given that treatment students used the program, on average, for less than 10 minutes per night, three to four nights per week,” according to Escueta and her co-authors.

They also explained that in the classroom, computer programs may help teachers meet the needs of students who are at different levels, since “when confronted with a wide range of student ability, teachers often end up teaching the core curriculum and tailoring instruction to the middle of the class.” A good program, they found, could help provide individual attention and skill building for kids at the bottom and the top, as well. There are computer programs for reading comprehension that have shown similar positive results in the research. Anecdotally: My older daughter practices her Spanish language skills using an app, and she hand-writes Spanish vocabulary words on index cards. The combination seems to be working well for her.

Though their review was published in 2020, before the data was out on our grand remote-learning experiment, Escueta and her co-authors found that fully online remote learning did not work as well as hybrid or in-person school. I called Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, who said that in light of earlier studies “and what we’re coming to understand about the long-lived effects of the pandemic on learning, it underscores for me that there’s a social dimension to learning that we ignore at our peril. And I think technology can often strip that away.”

Still, Dee summarized the entire topic of ed tech to me this way: “I don’t want to be black and white about this. I think there are really positive things coming from technology.” But he said that they are “meaningful supports on the margins, not fundamental changes in the modality of how people learn.”

I’d add that the implementation of any technology also matters a great deal; any educational tool can be great or awful, depending on how it’s used.

I’m neither a tech evangelist nor a Luddite. (Though I haven’t even touched on the potential implications of classroom teaching with artificial intelligence, a technology that, in other contexts, has so much destructive potential .) What I do want is the most effective educational experience for all kids.

Because there’s such a lag in the data and a lack of granularity to the information we do have, I want to hear from my readers: If you’re a teacher or a parent of a current K-12 student, I want to know how you and they are using technology — the good and the bad. Please complete the questionnaire below and let me know. I may reach out to you for further conversation.

Do your children or your students use technology in the classroom?

If you’re a parent, an educator or both, I want to hear from you.

Jessica Grose is an Opinion writer for The Times, covering family, religion, education, culture and the way we live now.