A flood is a temporary inundation of land areas lost to rising water levels in rivers, lakes, seas.
Floods are among the most frequent and regularly recurring natural disasters and occupy a leading position in area coverage, the total economic damage and loss of life; they account for 32% of the total number of natural disasters occurring annually in the world, they account for 30% of the losses from all natural disasters on Earth.
According to the UN, over the past 10 years in the world, floods affected more than 250 million people, killing nearly 9 million 70% of our planet is potentially subject to flooding, the number of victims may amount to several billion people. The threat of floods affected hundreds of large cities, tens of thousands of settlements and economic facilities in the flood area is 400 km2 of the territory of our country, where tens of millions of people. In the case of the destruction of the dam of the Khimki reservoir several administrative districts of Moscow fall within the inundation area.
Causes of floods:
prolonged rainfall;
intensive melting of snow and glaciers;
wind surges in estuaries and on the coast;
education in riverbeds congestion and Zagorov;
the breakthrough of hydraulic structures;
access to the surface of a large number of groundwater;
tsunami.
Characteristics of floods: elevation, flow rate and volume of water, the area and duration of flooding, flow velocity and rise in water level, the makeup water flow etc.
Flooding is a gradual rise in water level caused by spring snowmelt.
The flood is a rapid rise of water due to heavy rains or winter thaws.
Surge floods occur as a result of wind surges in estuaries and on the coast.
Tsunamis occur on the coasts of seas and oceans as a result of underwater earthquakes.
Effects of floods:
the rapid flow of huge masses of water;
high waves, whirlpools;
the low temperature of the water;
floating in water objects;
electric current when a wire breakage of transmission lines;
infectious diseases.
Floods:
rapid flooding of vast territories;
injury and death of people and animals;
destruction or damage of buildings and structures, utilities, roads, power lines and communications;
getting into the water is chemically and fire-dangerous substances (petroleum products, fertilizers, pesticides);
flushing of topsoil, destruction of crops of agricultural products;
change terrain;
destruction or damage of raw materials, fuel, food, fodder, fertilizers, building materials;
change of soil structure, soil subsidence;
landslides, rockslides, mudslides;
the occurrence of epidemics.
The scale and impact of floods depend on the duration, terrain, season, weather, nature of soil, the speed of movement and height of rise of water, composition of the aqueous stream, the degree of density of buildings and density of population residence, the condition of hydraulic engineering constructions, the forecast accuracy and efficiency of the search and rescue operations in the flood zone.
Rules of conduct
If your home falls in the flood zone:
listen carefully to information and follow all the requirements of rescue services;
turn off the gas, electricity and water;
valuables, food and drinking water move to the upper floors or the attic;
close Windows and doors;
prepare for evacuation.
With the rapid rise of the water level:
build from scrap materials swimming facilities;
go to the upper floors, the attic, the roof of the building;
signal to rescuers;
independently from the flooded area be selected only in extreme cases when there is no hope for rescue.