Floods

A flood happens when water overflows or soaks land that is normally dry.
There are few places on Earth where people don’t need to be concerned about flooding. Generally, floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents time to prepare or evacuate. Sometimes, floods develop quickly and with little warning A flood can develop in many ways. The most common is when rivers or streams overflow their banks. These floods are called riverine floods. Heavy rain, a broken dam or levee, rapid icemelt in the mountains, or even a beaver dam in a vulnerable spot can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over nearby land. The land surrounding a river is called a flood plain. Coastal flooding, also called estuarine flooding, happens when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to rush inland Floods are the second-most widespread natural disaster on Earth, after wildfires. All 50 states of the United States are vulnerable to flooding.A flood happens when water overflows or soaks land that is normally dry. There are few places on Earth where people don’t need to be concerned about flooding. Generally, floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents time to prepare or evacuate. Sometimes, floods develop quickly and with little warning. A flood can develop in a many ways. The most common is when rivers or streams overflow their banks. These floods are called riverine floods. Heavy rain, a broken dam or levee, rapid icemelt in the mountains, or even a beaver dam in a vulnerable spot can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over nearby land. The land surrounding a river is called a flood plain. Coastal flooding, also called estuarine flooding, happens when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to rush inland. Floods are the second-most widespread natural disaster on Earth, after wildfires. All 50 states of the United States are vulnerable to flooding.