A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. In the sense of "flowing water", the word is applied to the inflow of the tide, as opposed to the outflow or "ebb".

It is usually due to the mass of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, exceeding the total capacity of the body, and as a result some of the water flows or sits outside of the normal perimeter of the body. It can also occur in rivers, when the strength of the river is so high it flows right out of the river channel , usually at corners or meanders. These of course, are not applicable in such instances as sea flooding.

The word comes from the Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages, compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float.

The term "The Flood" usually refers to the great Universal Deluge described in Genesis and is treated at Deluge.

Floods from the sea can cause overflow or overtopping of flood defences like dikes as well as flattening of dunes or bluffs. Land behind the coastal defence may be inundated or experience damage. A flood from sea may be caused by a heavy storm (storm surge), a high tide, a tsunami, or a combination thereof. As many urban communities are located near the coast this is a major threat around the world. Many rivers flow over relatively flat land border on broad flood plains. When heavy the deposition of silt on the rich farmlands and can result in their eventual depletion. The annual cycle of flood and farming was of great significance to many early farming cultures, most famously to the ancient Egyptians of the Nile river and to the Mesopotamians of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

A flood occurs when an area of land, usually low-lying, is covered with water. The worst floods usually occur when a river overflows its banks. An example of this is the January 1999 Queensland floods, which swamped south-eastern Queensland. Floods happen when soil and vegetation cannot absorb all the water. The water then runs off the land in quantities that cannot be carried in stream channels or kept in natural ponds or man-made reservoirs.

Periodic floods occur naturally on many rivers, forming an area known as the flood plain. These river floods usually result from heavy rain, sometimes combined with melting snow, which causes the rivers to overflow their banks. A flood that rises and falls rapidly with little or no advance warning is called a flash flood. Flash floods usually result from intense rainfall over a relatively small area, as happened in 2007 with the Sudan floods. Coastal areas are occasionally flooded by high tides caused by severe winds on ocean surfaces, or by tsunami waves caused by undersea earthquakes. There are often many causes for a flood.

Monsoon rainfalls can cause disastrous flooding in some equatorial countries, such as Bangladesh; Hurricanes have a number of different features which, together, can cause devastating flooding. One is the storm surge (sea flooding as much as 8 metres high) caused by the leading edge of the hurricane when it moves from sea to land. Another is the large amounts of precipitation associated with hurricanes. The eye of a hurricane has extremely low pressure, so sea level may rise a few metres in the eye of the storm. This type of coastal flooding occurs regularly in Bangladesh. In Europe floods from sea may occur as a result from heavy Atlantic storms, pushing the water to the coast. Especially in combination with high tide this can be damaging.

Under some rare conditions associated with heat waves, flash floods from quickly melting mountain snow have caused loss of property and life.

Undersea earthquakes, eruptions of island volcanos that form a caldera, (such as Thera or Krakatau) and marine landslips on continental shelves may all engender a tidal wave called a tsunami that causes destruction to coastal areas. See the tsunami article for full details of these marine floods.

Floods are the most frequent type of disaster worldwide. Thus, it is often difficult or impossible to obtain insurance policies which cover destruction of property due to flooding, since floods are a relatively predictable risk. A flood can also be caused by blocked sewage pipes and waterways, such as the Jakarta flood.

Primary effects

• Physical damage- Structures such as buildings get damaged due to flood water. Landslides can also take place.
• Casualties- People and livestock die due to drowning. It can also lead to epidemics and diseases.

Secondary effects

• Water supplies- Contamination of water. Clean drinking water becomes scarce.
• Diseases- Unhygienic conditions. Spread of water-bourne diseases
• Crops and food supplies- Shortage of food crops can be caused due to loss of entire harvest.

 Tertiary/long-term effects

• Economic- Economic hardship, due to e.g. temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding costs, food shortage leading to price increase etc, especially to the poor.
• Psychological- Loss of loved ones etc.

 

 

Widespread flooding occurred throughout the United Kingdom in June and July 2007, killing 11 people. The flooding affected thousands of businesses, tens of thousands of

homes and further affected up to a million people. Estimated damages on 23 July 2007 were over 2 billion

The most severe flooding occurred across Northern Ireland on 12 June; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire on 25 June; and Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and South Wales on 20 July.

June was one of the wettest months on record in Britain (see List of weather records). Average rainfall across England was 140 millimetres (5.5 in), more than double the June average. Some areas received a month's worth of precipitation in just 24 hours, and it was Sheffield's wettest month since records began July had unusually unsettled weather and above-average rainfall through the month, peaking on 20 July as an active frontal system dumped more than 120 mm (4.7 in) of rain in Southern England.

Civil and military authorities described the June and July rescue efforts as the biggest in peacetime Britain. The Environment Agency described the July floods as critical and expected them to exceed the 1947 benchmark.

 

 

 

 

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

are any large fire that spreads rapidly and are hard to extinguish

Wildfires are some of the most dangerous of all natural disasters. Wildfires can kill humans, plants, and animal life. Wildfires have consumed millions of acres in the U.S. alone, and “each year, wildfires kill more Americans than all other natural disasters combined.” An enormous percentage of wildfires are  caused by humans. Numerous wildfires can start by careless human actions such as sparks from equipment, arced power lines, campfires, burning debris, and discarded smoking products. Wildfires can also be caused by natural occurrences, which are out of human control such as lightning. *“In the year of 1995, 9,974 wildfires were caused by lightning. However, in comparison to the whopping 120,045 wildfires caused by humans, lightning was clearly a small percentage in the contribution of wildfires all around the world.” (Information from .During a wildfire its important to know how to stay safe. Below are some wildfire safety tips.