Wednesday 20 February 2013

KINDS OF FLOOD


There are basically four kinds of floods as illustrated below:

1.       Coastal
2.       Catastrophic
3.       Muddy
4.       Riverine

Coastal Flood
In the coastal areas flood occur occasionally due to high tides which are caused by undersea earthquakes. Also coastal flood may be caused by heavy sea storms or as a result of tsunami or hurricane. Sometimes Europe experience coastal flood which   occur as a result of heavy Atlantic storms that push the water to the coast with the combination of high tide which come-up.

Catastrophic Flood
Catastrophic flood is an unexpected disaster that comes without any warning. It is caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruption, as a result of failure of dams which is poorly constructed. Early warning of it can prevent it (if the water level is rising).

Muddy Flood
Muddy flood is a flood that is full of mud and as a result of an accumulation of run off on soil. During runoff on cropland solid material such as sand, stones, mud, etc are carried by water, and the one left like the mud on the soil form muddy flood because the runoff cannot carry it away. This cause damages to cropland.

Riverine Flood 
This flood involves two kinds which are:

Slow kinds and fast kinds

i.        Slow kinds
Slow flood may occur as a result of rapid snow melt and runoff from rainfall, increase the capacity of river channel. The heavy rainfall from monsoons, hurricanes, foreign winds and ice (debris) may cause slow flood.

ii.       Fast kinds
The fast kind of this flood is the flash flood. Flash flood is a rapid flood that rises and does not gives warning. It may occur when intense rainfall reaches the dry soil that has poor absorption, also occur when intense heat reacts on ice and melt.

Flash floods are different from regular flood; it may last for about four-six hours. During this short hour plants and living creatures use the water to replenish their selves in that environment were the flash floods occur.

Flash floods are caused by intense rainfall that brings storm, tropical storm, hurricane, ice or snow. Human activities can caused flash floods such as man –made dams, constructed for hydro-power, when failed there will be released of large amount of water and can destroy so many things, homes, cropland etc . Also building of houses to tight flood channel can cause flash floods to occur. When precipitation occurs on River channel, quickly there may be overflow or over topping of flood channel.

 

                                   
Flash flood is a deadly flood in arid and semi-arid regions due to infrequent storm, but when rainfall they will be large amount of water in a short time. Debris has been seeing as blockage of water channel in deserts, due to irregular rain to clear channel.

Picture of Flash Flood in Nigeria (Rivers State)


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