9781422269541

FACING THE WEATHER

BLIZZARDS EARTHQUAKES FLOODS HURRICANES TORNADOES

FACING THE WEATHER

KIMBERLY SPROUSE

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4861-4 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4864-5 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-6954-1 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Jacqueline Havelka—Inform Scientific Cover and Interior Design, and layout by Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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Chapter 1: What Makes a Flood..............................................................7 Chapter 2: Interesting Facts about Floods............................................19 Chapter 3: The Greatest Floods of All Time..........................................31 Chapter 4: Monitoring Floods...............................................................43 Chapter 5: Staying Safe in a Flood........................................................59 Series Glossary of Key Terms...............................................................72 Further Reading and Internet Resources..............................................74 Organizations to Contact......................................................................76 Index....................................................................................................77 Author’s Biography and Photo Credits..................................................80

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more!

Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

dam: a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level embankment: a wall or bank of earth or stone built to prevent a river from flooding an area levee: an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river nor’easter: a storm with winds that blow from the northeast and that usually occurs along the Atlantic coasts of the US and Canada

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CHAPTER

WHAT MAKES A FLOOD

Turn Around Don’t Drown TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN is a campaign phrase used by the National Weather Service (NWS) to warn people of the hazards of walking or driving through floodwaters. A flood is a large amount of overflowing water onto what is normally dry land. Floods occur when existing waterways, such as oceans, rivers, or streams become overwhelmed with water. People die every year in floods because they attempt to drive or walk through floodwaters. Floodwaters are very strong, even when they do not appear deep. Some drivers attempt to drive around road barriers that are blocking flooded roads because they don’t think the water is dangerous. While the water may not always look dangerous, there is a chance the water caused the road to collapse. Walking through floodwaters is just as dangerous even if the water only comes up to your knees. It only takes six inches of floodwater to knock an adult off his or

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Watch this video from the Texas Department of Public Safety. It is a promotion for Flood Awareness Week, reminding everyone that if you see high water on the roads, turn around, don’t drown.

her feet, 12 inches of floodwater to carry away a car, and just two feet of floodwater to carry away an SUV or truck. Types and Causes of Floods While floods are simply described as large overflows of water, there are four main types of floods: river floods, coastal floods, sewer floods, and flash floods. Each type of flood can occur in different geographical locations and have different effects on the area and the people that live there. A river flood causes the most property damage and occurs when water levels rise over a riverbank. River floods are caused by heavy or long periods of rainfall, melting snow, floating debris, or ice jams. Areas that receive a heavy amount of rain, long periods of rain, or lots of melting snow will flood if the river becomes overwhelmed with water. Floating debris or ice jams can accumulate in a river, obstructing the flow of water, which

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Facing the Weather: Floods

then causes the river to rise rapidly and flood upstream. Floating debris can consist of anything from trash to aquatic plants to sticks and logs. An ice jam is composed of chunks of ice that clump together. The chance of flooding increases if the land around the river has poor drainage, such as concreted areas, or slopes toward the river because it causes more water to flow into the river. Coastal floods can occur due to the high tide and coastal storms. High tide flooding occurs when the rising sea level combines with a new or full moon. A new or full moon causes changes in the wind, ocean currents, and strong tides. When the moon’s gravitational force is met with a high tide, this can cause high tide flooding even on a sunny day. Coastal storms such as tropical storms, hurricanes, or a type of winter storm called a nor’easter , can also cause coastal flooding. These storms change ocean wave patterns and can cause significantly higher waves that crash into the coast and flood dry land. Coastal flooding occurs in Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, several times a year due to the coastal development and lower elevation. Coastal development is the construction of homes, hotels, restaurants, and roads along the coast. These structures prevent the coast’s ability to shield dry land from these powerful storms. Earthquakes can also cause coastal flooding by creating a massive wave known as a tsunami. These tsunami waves are strong enough to reach inland up to 100 feet above sea level. Additionally, coastal floods are also caused by storm surges, an unusual rise in seawater level during a storm. Storm surges can be more threatening when they occur at the same time as high tide and can cause some tides to reach up to 20 feet along the

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What Makes a Flood

A new moon like the one pictured here can change ocean currents. The new moon can create strong tides that along with gravity can cause high tide flooding.

coast. They are the greatest threat to life and property, and can destroy boats and buildings, and add to the water levels of rivers and lakes inland. Depending on the size of the storm associated with the storm surge, storm surge flooding can last for several hours. There are times when the storm surge is more damaging than the storm that produced it. A sewer is an underground channel for carrying storm water runoff and waste matter. Sewers are important infrastructure for cities. Not only do they ensure that waste is properly disposed of, but they also assist in making sure water does not back up into city streets or people’s homes. There are two types of sewers used in each city: storm sewers and sanitary sewers. Storm sewers carry water runoff to the local rivers and streams while sanitary sewers carry waste matter to a wastewater treatment plant. Storm sewers are angled to ensure the water flows to the nearest body of water, but sanitary sewers are run by electrical pumps because the waste must be made to flow

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Facing the Weather: Floods

in the direction of the treatment plant. During power outages, these pumps stop working, which can cause the sanitary sewers to back up. A storm sewer can also back up if there is a large amount of water flowing through it and it is unable to contain it all. Flash floods can happen without warning and are characterized by a raging, strong, fast-moving stream of water. Flash floods are responsible for the greatest loss of life and are caused by slow-moving thunderstorms, heavy rain from hurricanes or tropical storms, floating debris, ice jams, or breaks in an embankment , levee or dam . Very dry areas are more prone to flash flooding when significant rainstorms strike because the Charleston, South Carolina, has very low elevation and its coastline is highly developed, as pictured here. The homes and other buildings do not allow for shielding against powerful nor’easters and the coastline here floods several times a year.

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What Makes a Flood

Storm sewers help remove excess water from storms. A storm sewer has an angled design to carry water to the nearest large body of water: a river, lake, or ocean.

dry soil is unable to absorb the water. When floating debris or ice jams get stuck in a river, water overflows upstream, but when the floating debris or ice jam breaks free, flash flooding occurs downstream. Flash floods can also occur if a levee or dam breaks. Dams and levees are designed to resist water pressure, but they occasionally fail, creating a sudden release of water

that then results in a dangerous flash flood. Geographical Location of Floods

River floods are more common along river floodplains, while coastal flooding occurs along the coast. Sewer floods can occur in any city where the sewers are backed up or overwhelmed. Flash floods occur in mountains with streams or rivers as well as urban or low-lying areas. As floods can occur anywhere in

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Facing the Weather: Floods

the world that receives rain, 23% of the world's population is exposed to flooding. In the United States, 13% of the population is at risk of experiencing a coastal or inland flood. Floods are most common in river plains and coastal areas, and they put communities in low-lying areas, near water, or downstream from a levee or dam at risk. Densely populated areas are at a higher risk for flash floods because construction of buildings, highways, driveways, and parking lots increase runoff by reducing the amount of rain that can be absorbed into the ground. Camping or recreational areas along a stream or river can be hazardous if there are thunderstorms in the area. Sometimes thunderstorms cause flooding far upstream, and people downstream are unaware of the danger until they see the floodwater.

Cities that are close to sea-level elevation have levees like this one to protect from flooding. When levees break, flash floods can occur quickly due to the sudden release of water.

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What Makes a Flood

Effects of Floods Drowning is the number one cause of flood deaths. These deaths typically occur from people trying to walk or drive through floodwaters. In addition to the loss of life, floods, especially flash floods, cause significant property and infrastructure damage, road closures, crop destruction, and the deterioration of human health. It only takes about one inch of floodwater to cause approximately $25,000 in damage to a home. As the floodwaters rise, the cost of repairs increases substantially. Floods can damage the structure of a home or building and even decrease the integrity of roadways and bridges. Roads are closed to keep people from driving on flooded roadways that are unsafe. Roads are evaluated by cities to determine whether they are safe to drive on or if the road will need to be repaired before it is once again opened to traffic.

WEATHER WONDER

Floods can occur anywhere in the world, and are the number one natural disaster on the planet. As such, they are also the deadliest. In the United States, floods are responsible for more deaths than tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning strikes combined.

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Facing the Weather: Floods

Turn around, don’t drown! Floodwaters are often much deeper than they appear. Never wade into floodwaters. These waters are deep and can have floating debris, poisonous snakes, and other dangers.

In 2020, floods caused $1 billion in property and crop damage, and in 2021, floods caused over $3 billion in property and crop damage. Floodwaters not only inundate and ruin crops, but also erode the soil, and introduce crops to the diseases that are in the floodwaters. Floodwaters are considered contaminated because they can carry sewage and other pollutants. Floodwaters likely contain chemicals and can carry infectious diseases. There is no way to know where the floodwater came from or what it mixed with; therefore, you do not know what kind of health dangers are lurking in floodwaters. Additionally, if the floodwater is stagnant for too long, it can cause toxic mold to start growing. Floods also leave many people trapped in their homes or shelters and prevent people from accessing public services, such as health care. Flash floods come with a unique danger because they are strong enough to roll boulders, rip large trees out of the

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What Makes a Flood

ground, and destroy buildings and bridges. They can rip through riverbeds, urban streets, or mountain canyons within minutes after just a few hours of excessive rainfall. Water levels can reach up to 30 feet or higher. Now You Know Floods are deadly and must be taken seriously. It does not matter how safe you think the water is or how many floods you have lived through, you should always adhere to the warning signs and never drive or walk through floodwater. There is at least one type of flood that can happen anywhere in the world, and each type has significant effects on the geographical area and the people impacted by it.

Area authorities close roads to keep people safe. Respect the road signs and do not try to drive around them. You could be putting your life at risk.

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Facing the Weather: Floods