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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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