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Flood Facts & Worksheets

A flood is a natural or sometimes man-made phenomenon that occurs when a large portion of land is submerged due to rising water levels

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A flood is a natural or sometimes man-made phenomenon that occurs when a large portion of land is submerged due to rising water levels. It is a serious concern for various public health and scientific fields.

See the fact file below for more information on Flood or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Flood worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

KINDS OF FLOODS

  • There are three (3) types of floods. Each has a unique impact and a different way of occurring, and causes different damage.
    • Fluvial floods – also known as river floods. This type of flood occurs when lakes or rivers overflow and cause flooding to shores and lands surrounding them. This can cause extensive damage because it can affect smaller downstream communities, causing dams and dikes to fail.
    • Coastal floods – caused by oceans oversaturating nearby coastal areas. Further, extreme windstorms occurring concurrently with storm surge and tsunamis are the most likely causes of coastal flooding. Water overtakes low-lying land in this type of flood, resulting in catastrophic loss of lives and properties.
    • Pluvial floods – caused by extensive rainfall rather than an overflowing body of water. Nonetheless, this type of flood can occur in any location, whether rural or urban, and even in areas where there are no bodies of water. There are two (2) types of pluvial flooding:
      • Surface water floods – occur when urban drainage systems become overburdened, causing water to flood roads and surrounding areas. They have shallow water levels that may be over one meter deep. They do not endanger people’s lives but cause economic damage.
      • Flash floods – fast-moving, strenuous rush of water caused by heavy downpours falling in a short period of time in proximity or on neighboring elevated terrain. This can also occur as a result of the spontaneous discharge of water from riverbanks or dams. 

COMMON CAUSES OF FLOODS

  • One of the simplest causes and explanations of flooding is heavy rain. 
  • Melting ice and snow after winter may even cause flooding in the following season, spring. This can be disastrous for low-lying areas near mountain ranges.
  • Some of the common causes of floods involve human activities like deforestation, or land usage changes, and even excavation of wetlands. 
  • When there is a lack of vegetation in a particular area, there is little chance of preventing water from overflowing, which could lead to flash flooding.
  • Increased rainfall events caused by climate change exacerbate flooding.
  • Climate change has been shown to have a significant impact on populations vulnerable to flooding; however, this comes with uncertainty due to the various climate models.
  • Geography can also increase the likelihood of flooding in a particular region. 
  • Floods, for example, are common in areas near rivers, coastal areas and low-lying areas between mountains.

EFFECTS OF FLOODS

  • Some of the immediate consequences of flooding are casualties, damage to property, agricultural obliteration, livestock loss, and worsening of medical problems due to waterborne diseases.
  • The long-term consequences of flood damage to society include disruptions in potable water, wastewater management, electricity, public transportation, communication, education, and health care.
  • Furthermore, loss of livelihood, purchasing power, and land prices on floodplains can make communities helpless.
  • Flash floods typically overwhelm agriculture, rendering it unusable and trying to prevent crops from being cultivated or consumed locally, resulting in food shortages for both humans and domesticated animals.
  • In major flooding circumstances, whole harvests could end up lost for a region. Some trees, crops, and shrubs may be unable to endure sustained root system flood damage.
  • Floodwaters have a negative impact on coastal marine environments primarily due to the advent of overabundant sediment and nutrients, as well as pollutants such as chemical compounds, toxic substances, and debris. 

WORST FLOODS IN HISTORY

  • Great Yangtze River Flood of 1931 
    • This is said to be one of the world’s most dangerous events and one of the worst natural disasters in history.
    • It was not the flood that killed the people, however; rather, it was famine and water-borne diseases. The flood totally demolished rice fields, resulting in widespread starvation in many southern Chinese cities. 
  • 1949 Eastern Guatemala Flood
    • On September 27, 1949, a tropical storm off the southern coast of Guatemala became a hurricane which resulted in one of Guatemala’s most devastating natural disasters. 
    • Although the details were not precise, some estimated that the deaths were as high as 40,000.
  • 1974 Bangladesh Flood 
    • The event happened between April and June 1974 when heavy rains caused a series of floods in Bangladesh’s Brahmaputra River. 
    • An estimated 28,700 people died in the initial flood. 
  • 1975 Banqiao Dam Failure
    • The Banqiao Dam on the Ru River failed after a massive typhoon, resulting in a 20-foot wave sweeping across the region, causing 62 other dams to fail.

Flood Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Flood across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Flood which is a natural or sometimes man-made phenomenon that occurs when a large portion of land is submerged due to rising water levels.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Flood Facts
  • Flood Preparation
  • Proper Waterways
  • Flood Prevention
  • Great Rivers
  • Truth or Bluff?
  • Public Protection
  • Historical FLoods
  • Current Events
  • Flood Warning
  • Knowing Disasters
  • Word Plays

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Link will appear as Flood Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 21, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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