Monsoons

"The monsoon rains bring a relief from the hear, but can cause massive devastation." Shopkeeper, India, 1997

Every June in India, the monsoon comes, bringing rain for three months, and sometimes it is torrential. The flooding can be terrifying. Rivers burst their banks, power failures cause shops to close, and streets are turned in to muddy waist-high rivers. Many people suffer injuries from stepping on glass and other objects submerged in the water and there is a high risk from water-borne disease. Yet, wherever possible, life goes on: Indians have got used to the monsoons. They build dams and huts with raised floors, and store food on high platforms. The floods bring boatman, ready to carry people from door to door for a fee. In some years these torrential rains turn into disaster. In these cases, the army and relief organizations try desperately to distribute food and medical supplies. But, such is the scale of monsoon floods in India and Bangladesh, that often they struggle to provide sufficient help and it can take weeks before the situation is brought under control.

River floods

"The surging water annihilated everything in its path." Description of Big Thompson flood, 1976

In 1976, an enormous storm dropped around 25 cm (10 in) of rain onto the Big Thompson River in Colorado, United States, in as little as four hours. The flood waters rushed down the river canyon, sweeping away roads, cars, trees and even a power station. The torrent broke up the road surface, sending huge chunks up into the air. It was difficult for the emergency services to get close enough to help people and at least one ambulance was knocked off the road by the water. Helicopters were brought in to pick up the survivors. It took months for the army to clear all the wreckage using large tractors.

River floods are the most dangerous in canyons or down mountains. The extra water hurtles along until it hits open land which is where people often live.

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