Natural Hazards and Disasters: Floods - Assignment Example

? Module 4: Natural Hazards and Disasters: Floods Module 4: Natural Hazards and Disasters: Floods Flood is the situation in which the water in the river reaches at the level beyond its capacity. The increase in the amount of the water in the river is due to the impact of rains, fractures and rupture of dams and due to the sudden climate change (increase in temperature) that causes the snow and mountainous glaciers to melt at a faster pace. During the flood, the water in the river rushes out of the river and risks the lives and the property of people residing nearby. On the other hand it harms the irrigated fields and plants. It is the force of water that is considered the most dangerous during the flood. During the flood, one is unable to face the harsh behavior of water and thus people are advised to move to the higher regions before the flood. 1. List and describe the most common causes of floods. Causes of Floods Three major causes are found to cause the floods. Theses causes include Tropical storms, Seasonal flooding, Coastal Flooding (Library.thinkquest.org, 2013). Tropical Storms Tropical storms and hurricanes remain to have high impact on our lives due to the devastating impact of the heavy winds carrying immense amount of water with them. The resulting rains in response to the hurricanes and tropical storms become a cause of flood. Tropical Depression produces a wind of speeds less than 38 miles per hour. In the tropical depression situation winds have relative less speed as compared to that in the hurricane (Erh.noaa.gov, 2013). However, the tropical depressions are found to produce immense rains. Such a type of phenomenon produces some major damages in Georgia with a tremendous rainfall of about 28 inches that caused flooding. During a tropical Storm the speed of the wind can reach as high as 73 miles per hour and tropical storms are categorized due to having more wind speed (39-73 miles per hour) as compared to the tropical depression. Tropical storms produce immense rain falls that are followed by flooding but some damages are due to the heavy winds. The rainfalls during the tropical storms produce more water than the capacity of the rivers, streams and lakes and thus heavy flooding occurs. Seasonal Flooding In rainy season, (a prolonged raining period mostly in spring or peak summer) the rains may fall more than the capacity of the rivers, streams and lakes and thus the flooding occurs. The flooding is not the sudden rush of water into the streams, lakes and rivers but due to the prolonged period of rains. The water on the rivers, streams and lakes rushes out. The major reason of less absorption of water into the ground is that due to the rains, the soil becomes saturated and the absorption rate due the unsaturated behavior of the ground lowers and thus the flooding occurs. The melting of the snow during the start of the summer is another reason of the seasonal. It is due to the heavy snow falls in the winter season and during the start of the summer, snow melts and is being converted to huge amount of water that rusher into the streams and at some instance it may become more than the capacity of the streams and rivers that thus the flooding occurs. Both melting of the snow and the rainy seasonal rainfalls may contribute in occurring flooding in combination. Coastal Flooding Due to the severe tropical storms and heavy winds, the winds tend to carry away the ocean water in hevy amounts and thus occur of the coastal areas. In this situation, the sea level rises to the ground level and winds tend to produce waves more than the ground level and flooding occurs. Higher velocity winds create surface turbulence and thus the ocean waves present flooding of the coastal areas. The phenomenon is often recognized as storm surge. Coastal flooding is also due to the impact of Tsunamis, volcanic eruption and landslides in the oceans. Tsunamis are caused due to the earthquake which occurs in the ocean not very far from the coastal region. An under oceanic earthquake warning system can predict the tsunami before it occurs. In the condition of tsunami, the waves can attain as much height as 100 feet and may have a reduced height of about 50 feet. Such massive waves can flood the coastal region and the water can reach several miles from the coast. 2. Explain the system used to classify floods. Classification of Floods According to the changing levels of flood risks, Flood Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) presented map of different flooding zones according to the risks of being flooded (Fema.gov, 2013). Zones like A, AE, A1-A30, Ah, AO, AR and A99 come in the Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) having high risks of flooding (Msc.fema.gov, 2013). The areas come in this category of SFHA have the risk of one percent chance of flooding in a year. One percent risk is also referred as the base flood or 100 years flood. Zones like V, VE and V1- V30 come in Coastal High Hazard Areas (CHHA) and prose high risk of flooding. The areas come in this category of CHHA have the risk of one percent chance of flooding in a year. According to the FEMA, Moderate and Minimal Risk Areas have the risk of 0.2 to 1 percent annual flood (Fema.gov, 2013). 3. Discuss the 1913 flood which occurred in Dayton, Ohio with regards to: Dayton, Ohio 1913 flood a. The nature of the event. A series of winter storms struck against the Midwest during the month of March 1913 that caused the flooding in the Dayton, Ohio in 1913. The storm is followed by heavy rains. Only three days rain fall is calculated to about 8-11 inches that is about 200-280 mm of rainfall. The Miami River was unable to support that massive amount of water. About 90% water runoff that presented an overflow of River. It was impossible for the levees to control such the massive amount of water. The Dayton had more than 20 feet or 6.1 meters of flood water. This flood in the most devastating and carried the most amount of water ever recorded in the history of the Miami River floods (Miamiconservancy.org, 2013). b. Issues directly related to the impact of the event (Property loss. Loss of life, etc.). In the 1913 Dayton flood, there was a massive property loss. About 360 people were died and the total estimated property loss was about $100 million. On the other hand, the biodiversity in the affected area affected (Ohiohistorycentral.org, 2013). Homes, factories, railroads, etc got affected by the flood. The whole area required much funds to be reconstructed. c. What is the purpose of the Ohio Conservancy Law and how does it relate to the Dayton Flood of 1913. The major purpose of the Ohio conservancy law was to reduce the impact of such a catastrophic event, like the Dayton flood 1913, in the future. The law was made after the Dayton flood of 1913 named as Ohio conservancy Law 1914, the major points of the law was to rebuild the watershed district demolished in Dayton flood 1913 and to reduce the impact of any catastrophic condition in the future. This law permitted release of funds that are generated through increase in taxes to accomplish the purposes of the Ohio conservancy law (Ohiohistorycentral.org, 2013). d. Discuss the Miami Conservancy District with regard to its: i. Mission and Vision. Miami conservancy district is an agency that manages the Great Miami River. The mission of the Miami conservancy District is the protection of lives and property of the people residing near the Great Miami watershed by implementing protection and safety techniques to control the flood condition in the Miami River. The vision of the agency is to manage the water resources and provide a healthy watershed that can raise the life quality within the Miami River (Miamiconservancy.org, 2013). ii. History. After the flood, about twenty three thousand people residing in the region gathered a sum of $2 million and started a protection and rescue program to counter such a situation. After the greatest loss in the history of the Ohio, Arthur Morgan was hired to design a plan in order to protect the Ohio from flooding. Arthur Morgan presented many safety features like the making of several dams in the path of the Miami River as well making the levees to protect Dayton from flooding (Miamiconservancy.org, 2013). iii. Governance. Miami Conservancy District is under the Government influence and operates under a regulatory commission that embodies nine Common Pleas Court judges. Miami Conservancy District works under the influence of “Ohio Revised Code Chapter 6101”. The Committee judges approve the action being taken by the Miami Conservancy District. On the other hand, three members are appointed as the board of director by the committee who regularize the actions of the Miami Conservancy district. Miami Conservancy District meetings are made public to attain the public ideas and opinions. All the actions of the Miami conservancy district are accountable (Miamiconservancy.org, 2013). iv. Funding According to the law, the government should increase tax rates to raise money in order to establish watershed districts and repair works. After the government passed the law, the fund are released to establish Miami Conservancy District. Governor James M. Cox felt that the plan could work to provide safety to the region and supported the Ohio Conservancy Law and making of Miami Conservancy district (Miamiconservancy.org, 2013). References Erh.noaa.gov (2013). Tropical Definitions. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/hurricane/tropicalDefinitions.shtml [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Fema.gov (2013). Flood Zones | FEMA.gov. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.fema.gov/floodplain-management/flood-zones [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Library.thinkquest.org (2013). Think Quest: Causes of Floods. [online] Retrieved from: http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/flooding/causesoffloods.shtml 3 [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Miamiconservancy.org (2013). Miami Conservancy District - About MCD - The Great Flood of 1913. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.miamiconservancy.org/about/1913.asp [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Msc.fema.gov (2013). FEMA Map Service Center - FEMA Flood Zone Designations. [online] Retrieved from: https://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/info?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&content=floodZones&title=FEMA%20Flood%20Zone%20Designations [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Miamiconservancy.org (2013). Miami Conservancy District. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.miamiconservancy.org/about/governance.asp [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Ohiohistorycentral.org (2013). Ohio Conservancy Law - Ohio History Central. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Ohio_Conservancy_Law?rec=1460 [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Read More