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Article Series: Floods
Flood Facts, Tips and Safety Protocols
Floods
- The Causes & Risks
We live in a time of growing awareness of
great climatic changes. And though it may seem that currently
we hear without letup of one disaster after another, mankind
has always been challenged by nature. Without a doubt, history
has recorded some dramatic moments wherein mankind has had
to bravely face nature's fury and find a way to survive.
One
of the most devastating events for any urban community
or land mass is that of a flood. While most cities and communities
tend to sprout up around a water source, it's vast potential
for good must always be tempered with a deep respect for it's
power. Whether slowly rising or rushing in with great force,
water in powerful amounts can wreck devastation on a land.
Especially when one considers the vital components of a community
that can be damaged or destroyed. Buildings, bridges, roadways
and sewer systems can be torn apart. Crops can be lost. Local
water supplies can be contaminated. Diseases erupt. And most
poignantly of all, there is usually the loss of human and animal
life.
There can be many causes of flooding. And to be fair, it has
at times, been regarded as a source from nature of providing
nutrients to soil that has been cultivated along the shores
of mighty rivers such as the Nile, the Ganges or the Yellow
River in China. Also, in areas prone to flooding, man can use
this natural event to harness a renewable energy source.
However, by far, the experience of an unexpected flood is
a negative one. And some of the causes can be local rivers
or lakes that are subject to excessive rainfall or spring runoff
of snow melting. There can be flash floods that are the result
of an intense thunderstorm. There can be a rise of water in
local estuaries caused by sea tidal surges that come from storm
winds. Hurricanes or other severe sea storms can raise the
coastal waters. Or some other rare occurrence such as an earthquake
or the unexpected breaking of a dam can result in a flash flood
event.
As with most natural disasters, there is also the long term
effects that usually translates into huge economic loss and
hardship. As was most vividly illustrated by the flood of 2005
that wrecked havoc on the city of New Orleans, the massive
ruin they endured was not easily or swiftly repaired. The tourist
industry, so vital to their economy, is still struggling years
later. And it has highlighted to people everywhere that there
is an urgency to understand the nature of floods and what we
can do individually and as a community to prepare for such
an eventuality.
Emergencies and disasters can happen anytime, anywhere without warning. Protect yourself and your family. Click to see valuable emergency preparedness supplies and information. Be ready. Be prepared. I love this website. It's my SolveYourProblem recommendation.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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