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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