NATURAL DISASTER FLOOD

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water. 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.[ While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt, it is not a significant flood unless such escapes of water endanger land areas used by man like a village, city or other inhabited area.

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 water.

Cause of Floods

Floods are caused by many factors: heavy rainfall, highly accelerated snowmelt, severe winds over water, unusual high tides, tsunamis, or failure of dams, levees, retention ponds, or other structures that retained the water. Flooding can be exacerbated by increased amounts of impervious surface or by other natural hazards such as wildfires, which reduce the supply of vegetation that can absorb rainfall. Periodic floods occur on many rivers, forming a surrounding region known as the flood plain. During times of rain or snow, some of the water is retained in ponds or soil, some is absorbed by grass and vegetation, some evaporates, and the rest travels over the land as surface runoff. Floods occur when ponds, lakes, riverbeds, soil, and vegetation cannot absorb all the water. Water then runs off the land in quantities that cannot be carried within stream channels or retained in natural ponds, lakes,

and man-made reservoirs. About 30 percent of all precipitation becomes runoff and that amount might be increased by water from melting snow. River flooding is often caused by heavy rain, sometimes increased by melting snow. A flood that rises rapidly, with little or no advance warning, is called a flash flood. Flash floods usually result from intense rainfall over a relatively small area, or if the area was already saturated from previous precipitation.

Control of floods

Some methods of flood control have been practiced since ancient times. These methods include planting vegetation to retain extra water, terracing hillsides to slow flow downhill, and the construction of floodways (man-made channels to divert floodwater). Other techniques include the construction of levees, dikes, dams, reservoirs or retention ponds to hold extra water during times of flooding.

Methods of control
Dams
Many dams and their associated reservoirs are designed wholly or partially to aid in flood protection and control.

River Defences
In many countries, rivers prone to floods are often carefully managed. Defences such as levees, bunds, reservoirs, and weirs are

used to prevent rivers from overflowing their banks. When these defences fail, emergency measures such as sandbags or portable inflatable tubes are used. A weir, also known as a low head dam, is most often used to create millponds, but on the Humber River in Toronto, a weir was built near Raymore Drive to prevent a recurrence of the flood damage caused by Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

Coastal Defences
Coastal Flooding has been addressed in Europe and the Americas with coastal defences, such as sea walls, beach nourishment, and barrier islands. Tide gates are used in conjunction with dykes and culverts. They can be placed at the mouth of streams or small rivers, where an estuary begins or where tributary streams, or drainage ditches connect to sloughs. Tide gates close during incoming tides to prevent tidal waters from moving upland, and open during outgoing tides to allow waters to drain out via the culvert and into the estuary side of the dike.

PRECAUTIONS

Protecting your home

Elevate the furnace, water heater, and electric panel if susceptible to flooding Install check valves in sewer traps to prevent floodwater from backing up into your home. Seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage. Keep an adequate supply of food, candles and drinking water in case you are trapped inside your home.

When a flood is imminent

Listen to designated radio/TV emergency alert systems for emergency instructions. Secure/bring in outdoor furniture or other items that might float away and become a potential hazard.

Move valuable items and papers/documents to upper floors.

During a flood

Seek higher ground. Do not wait for instructions. Be aware of flash flood areas such as canals, streams, drainage channels. Be ready to evacuate. If instructed, turn off utilities at main switches and unplug appliances do not touch electrical equipment if wet. If you must leave your home, do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet. Use a stick to test depth. Do not try to drive over a flooded road. If your car stalls, abandon it immediately and seek an alternate route.

After a flood

Stay away from flood water do not attempt to swim, walk or drive through the area Be aware of areas where water has receded. Roadways may have weakened and could collapse. Avoid downed power lines and muddy waters where power lines may have fallen. Do not drink tap water until advised by the Health Unit that the water is safe to drink. Once flood waters have receded you must not live in your home until the water supply has been declared safe for use, all flood-contaminated rooms have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, adequate toilet facilities are available, all electrical appliances and heating/cooling systems have been inspected, food, utensils and dishes have been examined, cleaned or disposed of, and floor drains and sumps have been cleaned and disinfected.

FLOOD EFECTS

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. 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. Transport - Transport links destroyed, so hard to get emergency aid to those who need it.

Tertiary/long-term effects
Economic Economic hardship, due to: temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding costs, food shortage leading to price increase, etc.