The Impacts and Dangers of Floods

Figure 1: Man Standing in water after Hurricane Harvey

The National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management

Agency
By: Kelly Medina

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 Table of Contents

Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Understanding Floods -------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

- The Different Types of Floods ------------------------------------------------- 3

- The Impact on Human Health ------------------------------------------------- 4
- The Impact on Biodiversity ----------------------------------------------------- 5

Reducing Flood Damage ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5

- Flood control infrastructure ---------------------------------------------------- 5

- The role of climate change ------------------------------------------------------ 6

Why These Solutions Work -------------------------------------------------------------- 7

- Limitation to Solutions ----------------------------------------------------------- 7

Conclusion ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

References ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9

Figures:
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Abstract
Floods are often the impact of storms such as hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons that can cause
tremendous disasters. There are various types of flooding, however they all have a negative impact
on human health and biodiversity. In terms of human health flooding is responsible for 50% of
deaths that are due to natural disasters. However, the statistics do vary in different parts of the
world. Flooding does have a negative impact on biodiversity, however measuring the impact can
be difficult due to the size of the inundated area and the number of species that are affected. To
reduce the damage and negative impact of floods there are various flood control infrastructures
that have been utilized. Additionally, the promotion by the federal government and advocacy
groups to reduce our carbon footprint also contribute to reducing the damages and severity of
floods. However, it is important to recognize that flood control infrastructure can be costly and
have its risks. Furthermore, there are limitations to being able to convince people to make small
changes that can reduce the severity of floods.

Understanding Floods
The Different Types of Floods

According to the World Health Organization, floods are the most frequent type of natural disaster,
that occurs when there is an overload of water on land. There are multiple causes for flooding
which includes heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, or a storm surge (World Health Organization).
There are three main kinds of floods: flash floods, river floods, and coastal floods as shown in
Figure 2. Flash floods are the most well-known. This type of flooding occurs within 3-6 hours of
heavy rainfall (What is a flood?). Flash floods are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall, which
causes streams, rivers, and channels to overflow (World Health Organization). Similarly, river
floods occur when rain or snowmelt forces various bodies of water to overflow (World Health
Organization). As opposed to flash flooding, river floods can happen both slowly and suddenly
(What is a flood?). Lastly, coastal floods are the inundation of dryland areas along the coast caused
by tidal surges, high winds, and barometric pressure (What is a flood?). They are often associated
with tropical cyclones and tsunami (World Health Organization).

Figure 2: Three different types of flooding: Flash flood, river flood, coastal flood (left to right)

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The Impact on Humans

Floods impact humans in very different ways, “the impact of floods on the human community is
related directly to the location and topography of the area” (Du et al). One way that floods impact
humans is through health. Some immediate health impacts include drowning, injuries,
hypothermia, and animal bites; however, it is also important to consider that the evacuation of
patients, loss of health care workers, and the difficulty to access supplies also contribute to the
increase in health risks (Du et al). For example, most hospitals in Australia were built on “cheap
land near rivers” (Loosemore). This has become a great concern because over time flooding has
increased and studies show that eventually this could disrupt road networks (Loosemore). This
could prevent safe evacuations for hospital patients and potentially could cause both patients and
healthcare workers to be trapped due to floods (Loosemore).

Flooding accounts for approximately 40% of natural disasters worldwide and about 50% of all
deaths by natural disasters are due to flooding (Ohl & Tapsell). In Figure 3, the average number
of deaths due to flooding is shown throughout various locations and decades. In the United States
most deaths associated with flooding are due to drowning (Ohl & Tapsell). This is typically due
to the difficulty that motorist have to move in the water during flash flooding, which is
particularly dangerous (Ohl & Tapsell). For example, after hurricane Harvey, Texas residents
had a difficult time getting out of flooded areas because of the 60.5 inches of rainfall after
hurricane Harvey (Amadeo). Although, the number of deaths due to flooding in the United States
is high, there is a significant difference with the number of deaths in Africa. According to
Djebou and Singh, the trend is much more alarming because of the level of adaptation strategies
that have been developed in different continents.

Figure 3: Average number of deaths caused by flooding during different decades in different locations

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The Impact on Biodiversity
Floods can have very serious effects on the biodiversity of terrestrial animals such as birds, reptiles,
and amphibians (Zhang). The impacts that floods have is dependent on factors like the
characteristics of the organism and the organism’s natural condition, but also the severity of the
flood (Zhang). For example, in Arizona a rodent community was severely affected by flooding
that it was eventually replaced by an evasive species (Zhang). It can be difficult to measure the
true impact that floods have on biodiversity because of the of the size of the inundation area and
the number of species (Zhang). For, instance after analyzing the impact of a flood in the Amazon
would be very difficult because of the large biodiversity that exists and the size of the area.

To be able to analyze the true impact floods have on biodiversity a study was conducted that
looked at four different components: ratio of flood duration to survival time of animals in floods,
ratio of flood depth to plant height, migration ability of animals, and temperature (Zhang). The
study found that the impact of floods differed significantly depending on where the submerged
area as and the flood occurrence time. (Zhang).

Reducing Flood Damage

Flood Control Infrastructure

To reduce flood damage there are changes that can be made to the infrastructure. The most used
mitigation tool for floods is referred to as “gray infrastructure” project (Facing floods with
infrastructure). This type of engineered infrastructure is built from hard materials like concrete
(Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk). These projects include structures such
as levees, flood control dams, and pump stations.

Levees are structures that are located along rivers, streams, or on the coast, an example of a levee
can be seen in Figure 4 (Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk). They are
typically build using earthen materials such as clay or other soils. Levees are built parallel to
water ways to prevent flooding on the land.

Figure 4: A levee built to mitigate the impact of flooding

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Dams, as seen in Figure 5, also provide control for flooding as well as provide water storage,
electrical generation, and irrigation (Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk).
Flood control dams retain water and either release floodwater in controlled amounts or divert
water for other uses (Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk).

Figure 5: The Hoover dam on the Colorado River

Pump stations reduce tidal flooding and flooding from stormwater (Understand how flood
control projects reduce flood risk). The pumps work by reducing the amount of water in low
lying areas (Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk). Furthermore, they are
often pair with other barriers to provide more capacity move water. In Figure 6 you can see that
these pump stations are connected to a drainage system that allows them to effectively be able to
remove water.

Figure 6: Pump station in Belle Chase, Louisiana

Flood mitigation infrastructure is essential in combatting flood impacts as climate changes continues to affect the
patterns of natural disasters. It is essential that grey infrastructure continues to be integrated into urban areas as it
facilitates the flow of stormwater to reduce flooding and the number of pollutants that enter waterways
(Stormwater management). This type of infrastructure is vital for the drainage of rainwater.

The Role of Climate Change

Climate change is an important factor that has contributed to the increase and severity of flooding
around the world. Therefore, reducing the climate change is important to ensure that this issue

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does not worsen over time (Denchak). To reduce the impact of climate change there are various
steps that can be taken, which collectively have a large impact. Some examples of this includes
reducing water waste or investing in energy efficient appliances.

Reducing the amount of water that is wasted by taking shorter showers or turning off the tap
while brushing your teeth is one way that carbon pollution can be reduce (Denchak). This is
because it takes energy to pump and treat the water. If one out of every 100 American homes
made these changes approximately 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year would be
saved, meaning that 80,000 tons of global warming pollution would be avoided (Denchak).

Another change that is important to consider is investing in more energy efficient appliances. It is
a “low-cost way to reduce emission” (Denchak). This is because although these appliances may
seem to be higher in price than standard appliances, they ultimately are most cost effective because
they are not using as much energy as the standard appliance.

These practices must be enforced in order for the impact of climate change to reduce. If the
population does not start making more sustainable changes that reduce the carbon footprint,
flooding and other natural disaster will continue to grow in severity.

Why These Solutions Work

The implementation of flood control structures has been able to mitigate the impact of flooding.
This is demonstrated through the variety and quantity of structures that have been built overtime
to reduce the damage of floods. For example, there are 45,645 levees in the US Army Corps of
Engineers National Levee Database covering 28,093 miles of the Unites States (Understand how
flood control projects reduce flood risk). Furthermore, according to the National Inventory of Dam,
there are over 90,000 dams in the U.S and 18% are specifically for flood control (Understand how
flood control projects reduce flood risk).

Reducing climate change is getting to the root of the problem of flooding. As temperatures
continue to increase there is more evaporation that occurs which changes the size and frequency
of heavy precipitation (Environmental Protection Agency). This ultimately effects streamflow and
snowmelt which contributes to flood patterns (Environmental Protection Agency). Therefore,
taking steps to reduce these effects of climate change will also reduce the severity of flooding.

Limitations to Solutions

While gray infrastructure has contributed to preventing flood damage it does have it limitations.
One of these limitations is the budget that is required to build these structures. The National Flood
Insurance Program carries the responsibility to address issues concerning hurricanes and flooding,
however this is difficult for them to do because these structures are expensive to build and the
program is heavily in debt (Facing floods with infrastructure). Additionally, these infrastructures

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often give the public a sense of safety, which results in the community not adequately preparing
or they push flooding into new areas (Facing floods with infrastructure).

These structures are not the sole solution to the problem, and they still have some risks. For
examples, levees can reduce flooding, however that does not mean that the community is
completely safe from flooding because subject to be breached (Understand how flood control
projects reduce flood risk). There is also exists risks with dams if they are not maintained and
properly operated (Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk). Dams are built to
hold thousands of gallons of water and if it not in a good condition the impact can be catastrophic.

Additionally, it can be quite difficult enforce the public to respond to different information that is
being shared about the different ways they can reduce their carbon footprint and curb the effect of
climate change.

Conclusion
Floods can be a catastrophic affect both people and animals. As the effects of climate change
continues the severity of flooding will continue. In order to reduce the damages of floods we can
use our resources to create flood control structures, however, to get to the root of the problem
people must take steps to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce the effects of climate change.
It is important for people to be informed and take action to make small changes that can have a
great benefit to our lives. The enforcement of these solutions have to be enforced further in order
to decrease the risk of flooding and its negative impacts.

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References
Amadeo, K. (n.d.). Hurricane Harvey Facts, damage and costs - Lamar university. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from
https://www.lamar.edu/_files/documents/resilience-recovery/grant/recovery-and-resiliency/hurric2.pdf

Denchak, M. M. D. (2021, November 9). Flooding and climate change: Everything you need to know. NRDC.
Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flooding-and-climate-change-everything-you-
need-know#prevention

Du, W., FitzGerald, G. J., Clark, M., & Hou, X.-Y. (2012, June 28). Health impacts of floods: Prehospital and
disaster medicine. Cambridge Core. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/prehospital-and-disaster-medicine/article/health-impacts-of-
floods/11829B2183F14BF6E8563C37D73E8651

Djebou, D. C., & Singh, V. P. (2015). Impact of climate change on the Hydrologic Cycle and implications for
Society. Environment and Social Psychology, 1. https://doi.org/10.18063/esp.2015.01.002

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Climate Change Indicators: River Flooding. EPA. Retrieved March 15,
2022, from https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-river

Facing floods with infrastructure. Risk Management and Decision Processes Center. (2021, January 26). Retrieved
March 15, 2022, from
https://riskcenter.wharton.upenn.edu/studentclimaterisksolutions/facingfloodswithinfrastructure/#:~:text=The
%20most%20frequently%2Dused%20flood,modifications%2C%20floodwalls%2C%20and%20levees.

Loosemore, M. (2022, January 31). Hospitals at greater risk of flooding as the climate changes need better
evacuation plans. Phys.org. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://phys.org/news/2022-01-hospitals-greater-
climate-evacuation.html

Ohl, C. A., & Tapsell, S. (2000, November 11). Flooding and human health. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). Retrieved
March 15, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1118941/

Stormwater management – gray infrastructure. Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 30, 2022, from https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/eslm/stormwater-management-gray-
infrastructure#:~:text=Grey%20infrastructure%20for%20stormwater%20management,amount%20of%20poll
utants%20entering%20waterways.

Understand how flood control projects reduce flood risk ... FloodFactor. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from
https://help.floodfactor.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050117074-Understand-how-flood-control-projects-reduce-
flood-risk

What is a flood?: What causes a flood?: Flooding. Earth Networks. (2021, December 21). Retrieved March 10,
2022, from https://www.earthnetworks.com/flooding/

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World Health Organization. (n.d.). Floods. World Health Organization. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from
https://www.who.int/health-topics/floods#tab=tab_1

Zhang, Y., Li, Z., Ge, W., Chen, X., Xu, H., & Guan, H. (2021). Evaluation of the impact of extreme floods on the
biodiversity of Terrestrial Animals. Science of The Total Environment, 790, 148227.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148227

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