FLOOD

A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition[citation needed], resulting in an event of
substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the
environment. A disaster can be ostensively defined as any tragic event with great loss stemming from
events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, or explosions WHO defines Disaster as
"any occurrence, that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health
and health services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected
community or area"

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges

[1]
land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally
covered by water.[2] 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 or breaks levees, with the result that some of the water escapes its usual boundaries

Floods can also occur in rivers,

when flow exceeds the capacity of the river channel, particularly at bends or meanders. Floods
often cause damage to homes and businesses if they are placed in natural flood plains of rivers.
While flood damage can be virtually eliminated by moving away from rivers and other bodies of
water, since time out of mind, people have lived and worked by the water to seek sustenance and
capitalize on the gains of cheap and easy travel and commerce by being near water. That humans
continue to inhabit areas threatened by flood damage is evidence that the perceived value of
living near the water exceeds the cost of repeated periodic flooding.

Principal types and causes

Riverine

 Slow kinds: Runoff from sustained rainfall or rapid snow melt exceeding the capacity of
a river's channel. Causes include heavy rains from monsoons, hurricanes and tropical
depressions, foreign winds and warm rain affecting snow pack. Unexpected drainage
obstructions such as landslides, ice, or debris can cause slow flooding upstream of the
obstruction.
 Fast kinds: include flash floods resulting from convective precipitation (intense
thunderstorms) or sudden release from an upstream impoundment created behind a dam,
landslide, or glacier.

Estuarine
  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.

Coastal

 Caused by severe sea storms, or as a result of another hazard (e.g. tsunami or hurricane).
A storm surge, from either a tropical cyclone or an extratropical cyclone, falls within this
category.

Catastrophic

 Caused by a significant and unexpected event e.g. dam breakage, or as a result of another
hazard (e.g. earthquake or volcanic eruption).

Human-induced

Accidental damage by workmen to tunnels or pipes.

Muddy

 A muddy flood is generated by runoff on crop land.

A muddy flood is produced by an accumulation of runoff generated on cropland. Sediments are

then detached by runoff and carried as suspended matter or bed load. Muddy runoff is more
likely detected when it reaches inhabited areas.

Muddy floods are therefore a hill slope process, and confusion with mudflows produced by mass
movements should be avoided.

Other

 Floods can occur if water accumulates across an impermeable surface (e.g. from rainfall)
and cannot rapidly dissipate (i.e. gentle orientation or low evaporation).
 A series of storms moving over the same area.
 Dam-building beavers can flood low-lying urban and rural areas, often causing
significant damage

EFFECTS
Primary effects
  Physical damage – Can damage any type of structure, including bridges, cars, buildings,
sewerage systems, roadways, and canals.

Secondary effects

 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.[4] 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.[5]

Tertiary/long-term effects

Economic – Economic hardship, due to: temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding costs, food
shortage leading to price increase, etc

Flood and health factors

The large amount of pooled water remaining after the flood l leads to an increase in mosquito
populations. Mosquitoes are most active at sunrise and sunset. People are exposed to malaria, dengu
etc. 
Regardless of ones ability to swim. Swiftly moving shallow water can be deadly, and even shallow
standing water can be dangerous for small children. Cars or other vehicles do not provide adequate
protection from flood waters. Cars can be swept away or may break down in moving water. 

Many wild animals are forced from their natural habitats by flooding, and many domestic animals are
also without homes after the flood. General public is exposed to rabies. Animals are disoriented and
displaced, too. 
Rats may be a problem during and after a flood. Take care to secure all food supplies, and remove any
animal carcasses in the vicinity by contacting MCD

Flooding Preparedness

Before a flood occurs. . .

Find out if you live in a flood prone area. You can check with your local building
department to see the flood maps for your municipality. If you are in a flood zone -
purchase sufficient flood insurance.

Flood losses are not covered under normal homeowner's insurance. Learn how your
community would alert you if a flood was occurring or predicted.
Pre-assemble flood-fighting supplies like plastic sheeting, lumber, sandbags. Have
check valves installed in building sewer traps to prevent flood waters from backing
up in sewer drains.

As a last resort have large corks or stoppers to plug showers, tubs or basins from
water rising up through the pipes.

Maintain a disaster supply kit at home.

A kit will have (at minimum): • First aid supplies • Flashlight with extra batteries •
Non-perishable food • Drinking water • Blanket(s) or sleeping bag(s) • Rain gear or
a change of clothing

During the flood . . .

 Monitor commercial radio, television, NOAA Weather radio or your

Emergency Alerting Station for information
 Be prepared to evacuate to higher ground if ordered to do so by authorities
 Adhere to any emergency orders of authorities
 Bring possessions inside the house or secure them
 Do not touch any electrical appliances that are wet or standing in water
 Avoid walking or driving through flood waters

Flood dangers do not end when the water begins to recede.

Listen to a radio or television and do not return home until
authorities indicate it is safe to do so.

Remember to help your neighbors who may require special

assistance - infants, elderly people and people with
disabilities.

After the flood . . .

 If food or medicine has come in contact with flood waters, throw it out.
 Stay out of buildings if flood waters remain around the building
 When entering buildings after a flood use extreme caution
o Wear sturdy shoes and use battery-powered lanterns or flashlights
when examining buildings
 o Examine walls, floors, doors and windows to make sure that the
building is not in danger of collapse
o Watch out for animals, like snakes, that may have come into your home
with flood waters
o Take pictures of the damage - both of the house and its contents for
insurance claims.
 Look for fire hazards
o Broken or leaking gas lines
o Flooded electrical circuits
o Submerged furnaces or electrical appliances -
o Flammable or explosive materials coming from upstream -
 Report potential emergencies to authorities.
 It's best to have a professional pump out a basement - to avoid further
structural damage. FEMA recommends pumping out about one-third of the
water per day.

Flood prevention
 Numerous options exist for flood prevention, including agricultural, engineering
and political techniques. Each may be implemented in some form by an
individual, as well as by a community, although some options such as damming a
water source and/or restoring a wetlands area require government permission.

Reforestation and Soil Management

 Reforestation, contouring plowing and crop rotation provide the most common
flood prevention techniques in agricultural areas. These combat the damage
wrought by the combination of deforestation and overcultivation that results in
soil erosion.

Levees

 Some communities erect levees along a waterway to reduce flood damage by

enhancing the control of water flow. Levees may take the form of earth
embankments or floodwalls.
Dams and Reservoirs

 Dams impound water in a reservoir, impeding its regular flow. In addition to flood
control, dams and reservoirs can aid in drought relief. A dam constructed on a
water body's headwaters retains heavy runoff during extreme wet periods. The
community can then release this stored runoff water during dry periods.

Limiting or Prohibiting Development

 Limiting or prohibiting development within the 100-year floodplain via floodplain

ordinance reduces the potential for flood damage. Prohibiting development
ensures the wetlands associated with the floodplain remain capable of absorbing
rainfall adequately.

Wetlands Restoration

 In cases where building already took place in the floodplain and repeated flood
disasters have occurred, the federal government has bought out, then
demolished, properties in the damaged areas and restored the areas to wetlands

Great floods in India

Assam; worst floods in 50yrs Wednesday, July 16 2003 17:00 Hrs (IST)

Guwahati: A state of emergency was declared in the flood-hit Assam on July 16, with authorities
describing the flooding as the worst in 50 years. 

This is the biggest flood in 50 years, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said in a letter of appeal for funds
to the Central government. There may be further devastation in the coming days because flood-
management structures throughout the state have been damaged by the two successive waves of floods
this year, the letter warned. 

At least 3.7 million people have been displaced in more than two weeks of devastating floods in Assam,
which have swamped more than 20 of the state's 24 districts. 

The Brahmaputra burst its banks at several places overnight, flooding fresh areas in the state, according
to Assam Flood Control Minister Nurzamal Sarkar. There seems to be no respite with the river breaching
mud embankments everywhere. 

Benefits
There are many disruptive effects of flooding on human settlements and economic activities.
However, floods (in particular the more frequent/smaller floods) can bring many benefits, such
as recharging ground water, making soil more fertile and providing nutrients in which it is
deficient. Flood waters provide much needed water resources in particular in arid and semi-arid
regions where precipitation events can be very unevenly distributed throughout the year.
Freshwater floods in particular play an important role in maintaining ecosystems in river
corridors and are a key factor in maintaining floodplain biodiversity.[14] Flooding adds a lot of
nutrients to lakes and rivers which leads to improved fisheries for a few years, also because of
the suitability of a floodplain for spawning (little predation and a lot of nutrients).[15] Fish like the
weather fish make use of floods to reach new habitats. Together with fish also birds profit from
the boost in production caused by flooding