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Below are definitions of important flood terms.

• artificial levee: raised banks that increase a river’s water capacity
• bypass channels: special structures that redirect overflowing dam water
• coastal flooding: seashore flooding caused by high tides usually brought about by storms
• concrete dam: a man-made dam erected across a river valley to hold back water
• cumulonimbus: a very large thundercloud that brings heavy rain, hail, or snow
• dam: a barrier made of any material, which stops the flow of rivers and streams
• delta: a triangular area of swampy land created here the mouth of a river branches into several streams
• dike: a barrier usually made of earth, which runs alongside a river to keep it from overflowing at high water
• dysentery: an infection of the intestine caused by drinking polluted water
• earthen dams: dams made up of earth and stone
• embankment: raised banks that increase a river’s water capacity
• flash flood: a faster, more dangerous flow of water that results from tropical storms, dam failures, or excessive rain and snow; the flooding of an area that occurs in a matter of hours
• flood: the submerging with water of a normally dry area
• floodgates: locks or gates built across a river, which can be opened or closed to prevent flooding downstream
• flood barriers: special structures built across river mouths to prevent flooding
• flood plain: the plain next to a river where flooding occurs
• levee: a barrier usually made of earth or clay, which runs alongside a waterway to keep it from overflowing
• reservoir: a body of water stored in an artificial or natural pond or lake
• spillway: a specially built structure to catch overflowing water from dams
• tropical storm: an ocean storm that forms in the tropics
• typhoid: a dangerous infectious fever caused by drinking polluted water
• wetlands: land, such as a bog or marsh, that has wet and spongy soil

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