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Floods
A flood is a a great flowing or overflowing of water onto land that is not usually submerged. A flood happens when too much rain, brought by storms and strong winds, falls and cannot be absorbed by the soil. Rivers burst their banks and the water spills onto the land. Strong winds blowing across the sea make huge waves that surge onto the land and flood coastal areas.
Types of Floods
River Floods
Rivers floods happen when rivers and
streams cannot carry away all the extra water that falls as rain
or comes from melting snow. The water rises in the rivers and
streams and overflows onto normally dry land. Floods destroy farmland,
wash away people's houses and drown people and animals. Towns
and cities are flooded too.
Coastal flooding
can be caused by strong winds blowing waves onto the land. Hurricanes
and major storms produce most coastal floods. Very high tides
and tsunamis also flood the coasts. In many countries, large groups
of people live along the coasts and for these people coastal flooding
can be very serious. Thousands of people have been drowned in
coastal flooding in many parts of the world.
Flash Floods
A flash
flood is a quick flood caused by a sudden cloudburst or thunder
storm. Huge amounts of water fall in a short time and in cities
and towns the drains overflow and roads become flooded. Flash
floods also happen in mountainous areas, where steep slopes cause
the water to travel at high speeds. The rushing water erodes the
soil, washing it away down the slopes. Flash floods often occur
rapidly and with little warning.
Humans may also
cause floods
Floods
sometimes occur when artificial structures such as dams fail.
If the dam is poorly designed or built in a place where earthquakes
and landslides occur, the dam will break and the water floods
the land. One dam failure in the United States of America occurred
in 1972 when a dam used to store waste from a coal mine as well
as water, collapsed after three days of rain. The flood drowned
118 people and caused $65 million in damages.
When floodwaters rise slowly people have time to get ready. They can move themselves and some of their property to higher ground, or build barriers to keep the water out of their homes. Sometimes the water rises quickly and people and cars get caught in the flood. Water gets into buildings causing damage, things are washed away, and people have to leave their homes.
Read about the science of floods,
flood fighters, pet rescues, and accounts of flood survivors.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/infocus/floods.html
http://www.fema.gov/kids/floods.htm
Acknowledge this
source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas & Sydenham, Floods. [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au 2008
updated © [2008] kidcyber