This is a subject matter that I’ve been avoiding for weeks. It is actually a broad topic and writing about it means delving into a smörgåsbord of issues that have been addressed by world organizations, media groups, environment advocates, and governments in the past. I will not pretend to be an expert on the matter but I will write what I’ve read about, what I know, and will give my humble opinions.

Climate change is something that we all have heard about but not all of us really understand what it means and how it will impact the world we live in. Unfortunately, the effects of climate change is already bearing down upon us whether we understand it or not. The effects are here, in the guise of droughts and floods. Though both are equally important and are worthy of discussion, tackling the effects of climate change on world wide flooding will be the focus of this article.

Floods in general causes millions, if not billions, of dollars in damages in a year. The amount of flood damages will continue to increase every year as long as we fail to address the problems of drastic climate changes.

Today, regions located in the mid and higher altitudes are experiencing increase rainfall attributed to global warming. The increase in rainfall can cause a myriad of problems to the low landers including, but not limited to, frequency of flash floods, changes in direction and size of various river and other water ways, and changes in the catchment areas where excess waters from the highlands are collected, absorbed, and retained. Increase rainfall means more water trickling down these catchments resulting to water being retained for longer periods of time. This can result to spillage of water out the catchments causing flash floods.

Moreover, as world temperature rises, rain storms and flooding will only get worse. The warmer the Earth becomes, the more water is evaporated and turns into rainfall. Increase rainfall can cause floods as we have witnessed in recent news of flooding in Europe due to continuous rains.

Plus, there is the issue of melting polar ice caps. Increasing temperatures have melted a huge portion of the Arctic ice. Without the polar ice to naturally cool the Earth, global warming is being accelerated. Also, the melting ice and glaciers contribute to rising sea levels. It has been estimated that by 2100, the world’s seas would have risen by as much three feet. This means massive coastal flooding, beach erosion and causing massive sinking of the world’s land mass including important coastal wetland and barrier islands. But more importantly, the rising sea level will flood coastal communities and low-lying areas will find themselves six fee below sea level. Such areas include those along the Gulf of Mexico as well as estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay, and not to mention that coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Florida and North Carolina.

So what can we do? Sadly, we know what should be done. We knew about the reasons for global warming, melting polar ice, and rising sea levels for a while now and yet we continue going down the path of disaster. The first thing that should be done is to invest and adapt renewable energy instead of fossil fuels that throws harmful gases in to the atmosphere.

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Although flooding, generally, is a bane to most people out there I can’t help but bring your attention to the fact that floods can be quite beneficial. Actually, believe it or not, nature benefits more from natural floods than from not having them at all. The thing that makes natural floods a disaster is when flood waters occur in areas populated by humans and in areas of significant human development. Otherwise, when left in its natural state, the benefits of floods outweigh the adverse effects.

Let’s begin with river flooding. Rivers overflow for reasons like excess rainfall. The good thing about river overflows is the fact that as flood waters flow into the banks, sand, silt and debris are deposited into the surrounding land. After the river water subsided and go back to its normal flow, the deposited materials will help make the land richer or more fertile. The organic materials and minerals deposited by the river water keeps the soil fertile and productive. However, too much sand deposit will do the opposite. For farmers that maintain their crops along rivers, they should not feel threatened by yearly flooding. This gives their farm lands better soil consistencies and keeps their land fertile resulting to better harvests each year. Instead of preventing the natural flow of river floods, it might be beneficial in the long run to allow the flood waters to encroach into their lands. It was how nature intended it to be in the first place. However, there may be limits to how much farmers can tolerate such natural occurrences. One has to increase production to feed the demands of the human populace.

Great examples of how river overflows benefit humans are in the Nile river and the Mississippi delta. Farmers in Egypt have long equated river floods to high harvest rates. The higher the flood waters from the river, the better the harvest for that year. However, the case of the Mississippi delta is a little different. The Mississippi river naturally overflows and leaving behind huge deposits of sediments. In time these sediments created lands which are now identified as part of the Mississippi delta. But when humans began settling in along the river banks, they constructed complicated and elaborate systems to prevent or control the flood waters from the Mississippi river. Without the regular sediment deposits that the land along the area of the Mississippi delta receives from the river, the land begins to sink. Each year the Mississippi delta becomes dryer and sink more and more.

Floods are also known to renew wetland areas which in turn hosts a wide range of flora and fauna. Preventing flood waters from entering such wetland areas will create imbalance to the natural state of things resulting to destruction of natural habitats and even extinction of various species of animals and plants.

In conclusion, we can say the floods plays an important part in various ecosystems. Humans, therefore, should be careful when they try to prevent or control floods. Oftentimes, human intervention causes more harm than good.

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Floods are natural hazards. They occur practically anywhere in the world. However, there are areas that have higher risk of flooding. And unfortunately, these areas are not uninhabited. Most of the times the places that are more likely to be flooded are residential areas. In the United States, for example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has estimated that about 10 million households in the country are located in areas that are more prone to flooding.

Part of the problem is located within the densely populated areas themselves. If you think big cities are not susceptible for flooding then you got it all wrong. It is not common that the construction of buildings, roads, parking spaces, and driveways contribute or rather prevent the ground from absorbing the water from rains. The water that is supposed to go to the ground is transformed into runoff which in huge quantities can result to something as devastating as a flash flood. The same goes with sewerage or drainage systems. As heavy rains pour in, canals, storm drains or sewers get flooded and spill out on the roads and into houses and buildings. In cities, expect lower areas like underpasses, underground garages and even basements as the most likely places where the water can enter. It is sad that city planners and engineers fail to take into consideration the amount of runoff and the degree of clogging their infrastructure can create.
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Believe it or not, there are several types of floods. You already know what flooding is. To refresh your memory, flooding involves the overflowing of water onto land. There are more than 20,000 communities in the United States which are classified as highly susceptible of being flooded. These communities may be near rivers, small streams, beneath hillsides, or even near the deserts. The point of the matter is, flooding can occur in any place and in any time. The degree of flooding will vary from place to place. Some floods can only be a few inches high while others can be as high as ten feet with strong current. Some floods will last for just a few minutes while other areas can remain flooded for days or even weeks.

The River Flood

This kind of flood occurs because of the sudden rise of the water in the river. Commonly attributed reasons for the rise of the water level in rivers is too much rain which usually comes from atmospheric conditions like tropical storms. Sometimes, the combination of rainfall and snow melt can be disastrous for communities living near river systems. The rising river can attack without warning. It is best that you monitor how fast the river rises during extremely strong and long downpours.

The Coastal Flood

Quite similar to river floods in a sense that both are caused by hurricanes, tropical storm, or tropical depressions. The only difference is that coastal floods happen in the coastlines. The strong winds and rains can produce storm surges that not only overwhelms coastal areas but also pushes the sea water towards the shores. If you add in the element of tides, then it is more than enough to make people worry. Normal tides when it sets in can already cause some minimal coastal flooding, but with the storm tides, strong winds, surging waves and nonstop rains can cause massive coastal floods and can increase the average water level by more than 15 feet.

The Inland Flood

Flooding inland can still be attributed to tropical storms, hurricanes or cyclones. The rains that accompany these kinds of storms can be enough to cause floods in low areas, in places where the ground cannot absorb that too much water, and in places where there’s no outlet for the the excess rain water. When storms move slowly over land, the flooding problem gets worse. Moreover, the problem with inland floods is that certain areas tend to retain flood waters longer. Maybe because of the ground composition or due to human infrastructures or obstacles, these areas will remain flooded for days prolonging the agony of the flood victims.

The Flash Flood

This is perhaps the most dangerous kind of flood there is. Please understand that we are not underscoring the dangers present in the other kinds of floods. Flooding as a rule is very dangerous. However, the thing with flash floods is that they can occur really without significant warning. They cannot be predicted accurately. And because of these things, many have died from flash floods. Normally, a flash flood will occur within six hours of a very strong downpour. Mountain lakes or rivers swelling due to the heavy rainfall can cause massive flash flooding. Dam or levee failures can also cause flash floods. The sudden release of water by an ice jam can also bring forth floods that can damage nearby communities with one quick and giant sweep.

Posted in Floods

Experiencing floods at first hand is never a comforting matter, it’s distressful and dangerous. Coping with the destruction brought about by a flood is no different. Oftentimes,  you’ll be coming home to a wrecked house, with wet and grimy furniture, ruined appliances, and a load of other damages that will take you weeks and even months to repair. At times, a flood aftermath can leave you with lurking or impending dangers. Due to a lot of water, the soil might become loose which can lead to foundation collapse or even landslides.

When you return to your home after a major flood, you should follow some of the following precautions to ensure your safety. You have escaped the floodwaters with your life, the last thing that you want to do is waste it because you were a little careless.

1.After major floods, it usually takes a while before the roads are totally cleared of debris, mud, rocks, etc. Sometimes the roads remain under floodwaters or are severely damaged because of the flow. When you see notices along the roads or barricades on the roads, it is best to turn around and take another path.

2.Don’t put away your radio just yet. News and emergency announcements are continuously being aired after major floods. These news can tell you where to go, what you can do and how to get to your home without endangering yourself and your family.

3.Be helpful with both the emergency or rescue workers and the other victims as well.

4.Keep your nose up and try to heighten your powers of observation. When walking or driving in areas that have been affected by the flood, you should keep on solid ground. Also remember that running water six inches deep are enough to sweep you away while a standing pool of water can cause a serious electric shocks from open and live wires.

5.Like earthquakes, floods also exhibit other effects. Also, flood can re-occur anytime.

Your home and things might have been ruined by the flood, but there’s one thing that you should never let anything happen to. We’re talking about your health. Flood aftermath usually brings a variety of disease because of the unhygienic environment. More often than not, the Red Cross or other non-government organization will be handing out relief goods like medicine, clothing, food and clean water to drink.

Once you begin to do the necessary repairs, you should always be wary of debris around you. You don’t want to be caught in detached wirings, cut glass or other sharp objects that can cat and bruise your during your repair works. Before you enter a house, for example, be sure that you can’t smell any gas coming from the inside. It would be ideal to avoid smoking cigarettes or lighting candles for the meantime. You don’t want to start a fire just after a flood disaster.

Check your roof, foundation and chimney for cracks and other damages. Avoid entering a building that is in the brink of collapsing. If you have damaged water lines, it would be best not to drink from your faucet up until the local authorities have declared it safe.

At this point, it would be wise to  contact your insurance agent and inform him/her of the extent of the damage to your home.

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