.: Formations of Natural Catastrophes :.
Learn more about the formations of the various natural disasters here.

TORNADO EARTHQUAKE VOLCANO HURRICANE TSUNAMI FLOOD

.:Flood:.

Background and Context

Flooding actually occurs from a range of causes and conditions — not always the ones that first come to mind.

Inland flooding: It has been the cause of more than half the deaths resulting from hurricanes in the past years. For example, of the 56 people who died in 1999’s Hurricane Floyd, 50 drowned from inland flooding.

Torrential rains can accumulate when a storm becomes “stalled” in a certain location, even hundreds of miles from the coast. River flooding: River flooding is one of the most common of all flooding types. Heavy rains or the rapid melting for snow on upstream watersheds cause rivers rise. This has a higher probability of occurring where tributaries converge.

Coastal flooding: Coastal flooding is also very common. Coastal land is often close to sea level, and therefore vulnerable to floods.In many places, coastal land is very close to sea level, and therefore vulnerable. During hurricanes and storms near the sea, waves are much higher than normal, and extremely low atmospheric pressure causes the sea level to rise. If this rise in sea level coincides with the high tide, results can be calamitous.

Failure of Dams: This is not a very common cause of flooding, but there are still incidents where this occurs.

Natural Causes

  1. Rainfall - This is probably one of the most common reasons for flooding. During an extremely heavy downpour, the water level of the river may exceed that of its banks, causing water to flow out. This will eventually result in flooding

  2. Snowmelt - During periods of global warming, numerous ice caps will melt. This will result in a rise of sea and river levels, which may also lead to flooding similarly to the first cause.

  3. Coastal - During periods of high tide, the sea level may exceed that of the shore, leading to floods as well

Man-made Causes

  1. Deforestation - Many forests have been cleared in order to create space for the construction of buildings and other kinds of developments. As a result of this lack of vegetation, the soil is not held together firmly and thus is able to run down into rivers. River beds will become raised, which will eventually lead to an overflow of water. Similarly, the lack of vegetation can come as a result of overgrazing or over cultivation.

  2. Poor management of water supplies - If dams are not constructed properly, they will be able to give way very easily which may cause flooding. In certain countries, there is very high demand for more land for farming. Thus, many lakes and rivers have been reclaimed, reducing their size and making it easier for them to overflow.