Throughout the United States and the world flooding has long been a problem. It has affected millions
of individuals and has cost us lives, money, and time. In fact the average annual U.S. flood losses in the
past ten years (2001-2010) were more than 2.7 billion. (NFIP) So what is the cause of this menacing
issue?
The root cause of flooding is simply the weather. Heavy precipitation is the main culprit. Indirectly
climate change and deforestation also play a roll. Deforestation can have an impact as upland forests
can soak up a lot of water. But if we are destroying these areas the water has more land it can run to.
Wetlands can also soak up a lot of moisture, but many are getting drained to make room for
development which increases flood risks. Climate change and heavy precipitation impact all different
types of flooding such as flash floods, flooding after a fire, ice jams, mudflows, snowmelt, spring thaw,
and hurricanes just to name a few.
Flooding and flash flooding is what we will see most commonly and is caused by intense rainfall from a
thunderstorm or a combination of several thunderstorms. Flooding and flash flooding can occur
anywhere where there is intense rainfall. They occur in all 50 states and all around the world. What
many might not realize is that there is a key difference between flood and flash flooding and that is
Normal Floods involve water rising and overflowing from its normal path. Flash Floods occur from
concentrated rainfall from thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tropical storms.
Flooding after a fire can be particularly dangerous because after a fire has burned there is no vegetation
and the charred ground doesn’t easily absorb rain. Be on the look out if you live downstream where a
fire has taken place particularly in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and in Washington.
To all our neighbors in Montana and New York where
Ice Jams are most common pose a very different
problem when it stays cold for a very long time it
causes the tops of the rivers to freeze. When the
weather becomes warmer the ice thaws and breaks
into chunks. This poses a huge problem when the ice
becomes stuck and blocks off areas where water
could freely flow. This leads to severe flooding.
Stevenson Street Bridge, South Buffalo, NY
When the weather warms up after a cold winter we are faced with several potential problems. During
the winter the ground becomes hard and frozen this is from colder weather freezing the ground. Come
early spring the weather begins to change and becomes warmer which in turns causes the ground to
begin to thaw. Because the weather is seeing such a dramatic change so quickly the water from thawing
cannot be absorbed at the same rate. This causes run off.
A great example of early spring heavy precipitation causing flooding is one that
is occurring as we speak right out our front door. A colder than normal April
with precipitation 200 percent of normal not only caused the snowmelt, but
added to the overwhelming levels of snow in the mountains. With the
snowpack substantially higher in many drainage basins flooding is inevitable.
Many wonder will the flooding be comparable to that of the flood in ’83 that
took place in Salt Lake City. Well snowpack levels are higher this year than in
’83 and flooding has begun. With the Weber River already near capacity many
reservoirs are spilling over and dumping water. “Every day that it is cool and
wet increases the potential for much higher stream flows later on six weeks
from now,” said Randy Julander with the Utah Snow Survey. (Stagg)
http://youtu.be/1N-Sk5e7_ZE
“Every day that
it is cool and
wet increases
the potential for
much higher
stream flows
later on six
weeks from
now,” said
Randy Julander
with the Utah
Snow Survey.
With a problem of immense proportions there must be something we can do to help with flooding. The
first thing you want to do is educate yourself on the risks and causes of flooding. Have an emergency
plan that you will follow in the event of a flood. Also the Red Cross has put together a flood safety
checklist of things that it will be handy to have on hand. You can find this list on there website.
www.redcross.org
One measure that is currently in place to help handle flooding is the Flood Risk Assessment. What this
does is maps out a certain area and all the water ways in and near the area chosen. The model then
predicts how the area would be affected by a severe storm. This allows us to get a better idea of the
potential damage to certain areas before it occurs.
Creating a flood plains and winding streams as well as the building of levees and flood walls impede the
collection of water.
Protecting the wetlands would be a great way of preserving
a place for the excess water to gather. One tip we would
like to share with everyone is by placing large rocks along
the banks it will help prevent erosion which prevents the
banks from deteriorating. This keeps the riverbanks
remaining high so flooding will not occur as often. As we
have seen in many flooding situations if you are faced with
rising waters sand bags are another great way to help
combat the water.
One thing we want to remind everyone tonight is to stay away from flood waters. If you are in the
middle of a flood do not attempt to walk through the waters and stay away from power lines and
electrical wires, you should try to get to higher ground as soon as possible.
Works Cited
Works Cited
FEMA. FEMA. 15 June 2011 <www.fema.gov>.
NFIP. FloodSmart.gov The Official Site of the NFIP. 26 May 2011. 10 June 2011 <www.floodsmart.gov>.
O'Donoghue, Amy Joi. "Hang on for flooding in Utah." Deseret News 5 May 2011.
Red Cross. American Red Cross. 2011. 15 June 2011 <www.redcross.org>.
Stagg, Jennifer. "Utah water officials say flooding likely." Deseret News 10 April 2011.
Weather Channel. The Weather Channel . 5 February 2009. 5 June 2011 <www.weather.com>.