“Heavy rains soaked northeastern Australia in February and March 2012, with some areas receiving more than 1,500 millimeters (59 inches) of precipitation. This image shows rainfall, as observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, over parts of Queensland, Northern Territory, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. The date range is from February 22 to March 23, 2012.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“The U.S. Geological Survey deployed a temporary monitoring network of water-level sensors at 212 locations along the Atlantic coast from South Carolina to Maine during August 2011 to record the timing, areal extent, and magnitude of inland hurricane storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Irene. ” Quoted from the USGS publication release.
Sometimes the amount of snow on the ground in a drainage basin is a measure of flood threat. At other times it is a measure of water supply opportunity. Researchers are working to find rapid and accurate ways to estimate the amount of water tied up in drainage basin snow cover.
“Severe flooding affected multiple communities along Australia’s Queensland-New South Wales border in early February 2012. On February 5, 2012, the Australian Associated Press reported that several thousand residents were isolated from the outside world by an inland sea.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“Decision-support systems can be used to help synthesize, visualize, and analyze the natural-science and socioeconomic information needed for making risk-reduction and land-use choices.”
“Nearly five months after severe flooding struck the region, in September 2011, parts of Pakistan’s Sindh Province remained flooded. In January 2012, patches of standing water occur east of the Indus River. The Rann of Kachchh, a salt marsh, holds far more water than in 2010. Water is, however, receding from flooded areas and shows improvement over previous months.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory website.
“The United Nations reports 2011 was the costliest year in history for catastrophes. It says economic losses from natural disasters, including earthquakes, storms and floods, amounted to $366 billion.” Quoted from the Voice of America article.
“Torrential rain inundated southeastern Brazil in early January 2012, causing severe damage in multiple states. The floods forced thousands from their homes, damaged roads and homes, and broke through a levee in northern Rio de Janeiro State.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
NOAA has a website that provides information on all weather and climate-related disasters that have produced damages of over $1 billion in the United States since 1980. Their website has a variety of maps, charts, lists and narratives.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has satellite images of recent flooding along the Namoi River in New South Wales, Australia. The waters cut off numerous communities and swamped others.
The land beneath Bangkok is subsiding, sea level is rising and that means flood risk for the Thai capital is rapidly increasing. An article in Discovery News explores the threat of flooding for the citizens, businesses and government of Thailand.
Pumps and sandbags are protecting the city of Bangkok, Thailand from rising floodwaters north of the city. Unfortunately, rising water is expected to overtop some of the sandbag levees and flood portions of the city.
This satellite image shows water-covered runways and stranded planes at the Don Muang Airport, a short distance north of downtown Bangkok. Nearly 400 people have been killed by the flooding and millions have been displaced.
The Chao Phraya River is flooding and portions of Bangkok have below-sea-level elevations. Evacuation orders have been issued for residents of the Don Muang and Bang Phlat districts and thousands of people are now leaving the city.
Monsoon rains in Thailand are causing the worst flooding seen on the CDhao Phraya River in decades. Earth Observatory has an satellite image that shows extensive flooding in the city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok.
“Unusually heavy monsoon rains inundated southern Pakistan in the summer of 2011, submerging fields and forcing residents from their homes. On September 29, 2011, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 5.44 million people had been affected, 1.8 million residents had been displaced, and 2.1 million acres of cropland had been damaged.” Quoted from the NASA image release.
“As large parts of the nation recover from nature’s one-two punch—an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene—building researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes.” Quoted from the National Institute of Standards and Technology news release.
Earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding are making 2011 one of the most expensive years for insured catastrophe losses. Swiss Re reports insured losses of about $70 billion for the first half of the calendar year.
The Susquehanna River has been rising in response to very heavy rain. People living along the Susquehanna have been ordered to evacuate in New York and Pennsylvania.
Heavy rain has many streams at record levels in the northeastern United States. Check real-time water levels and view maps of stream level measurements at the USGS WaterWatch website.
“Rivers and streams are reaching record levels as a result of Hurricane Irene’s rainfall, with more than 80 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages measuring record peaks.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
“Although hurricanes often call to mind raging winds and toppling trees, some of the worst destruction caused by these storms comes in the form of rain. Hurricane Irene, which roared up the U.S. East Coast in late August 2011, was no exception. Flooding was reported from North Carolina’s Outer Banks to New England.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“As Hurricane Irene has left her mark along the East Coast, United States Geological Survey crews are sampling water for pesticides, E. coli, nutrients, and sediment to document water quality in areas affected by the hurricane.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
A major hurricane hit the coast of New York and surrounding areas on September 21, 1952, causing extensive damage. This historic video reviews some of the impact.
An Associated Press article explores answers to questions about buying earthquake and hurricane insurance – especially for the small business owner. It includes helpful links to the California Earthquake Authority and the National Flood Insurance Program websites.
The USGS WaterWatch website posts updated maps of streamflow and flood conditions based upon automatically collected measurements from thousands of stream gaging stations across the United States.
Hazus is a free computer modeling program that can be used for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. It uses GIS technology to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of disasters, then presents the information in graphical form.
“Dog-sized dinosaurs that lived near the South Pole, sometimes in the dark for months at a time, had bone tissue very similar to dinosaurs that lived everywhere on the planet, according to a doctoral candidate at Montana State University.” Quoted from the Montana State University news release.
An act to extend the authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program, to achieve reforms to improve the financial integrity and stability of the program, and to increase the role of private markets in the management of flood insurance risk, and for other purposes.
Note: The National Flood Insurance Program is over $17 billion in debt because it pays out more than it collects.
“At the beginning of August 2011, flood waters were receding along the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska, but only slowly. [...] Along the length of the Missouri River in these scenes, muddy water both fills the river channel and rests on floodplains, including croplands, to the east and west.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
Homeowner’s insurance generally does not cover damage that results from a flood, however, flood insurance can be obtained from the National Flood Insurance Program. Their website has a number of videos that answer the question… “Why buy flood insurance?”
“Flash floods are the #1 weather-related killer in the U.S. since they can roll boulders, tear out trees, and destroy buildings and bridges. A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas in less than six hours, which is caused by intense rainfall from a thunderstorm or several thunderstorms. Flash floods can also occur from the collapse of a man-made structure or ice dam.” Quoted from the FloodSmart.gov website.
“In September 2010, the Fourmile Canyon Fire broke out in the foothills west of Boulder, Colorado, scorching more than 6,000 acres (2,500 hectares) and forcing residents to evacuate. Ten months later, residents had to evacuate again, this time to flee floods. Stripped of vegetation, the slopes along Fourmile Canyon soaked up little of the water dropped by a thunderstorm. Instead, the runoff surged into local stream channels.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
A melt water lake contained by ice of Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier broke free last week causing a flash flood that swept down the Mendenhall River. Fortunately it caused very little damage and will serve as a warning.
Areas burned by recent fires near Flagstaff, Arizona are now experiencing flash flooding and debris flows. The Arizona Geology Blog reports on the problem and links to news sources.
“The Coos County Flood and Natural Hazards Web Tool is an interactive map that shows which parts of Coos County are subject to various natural hazards. Overlays that show flood, tsunami, earthquake, river channel migration, and landslide hazards can be selected and viewed down to a scale of 1:4,514.” Quoted from the OregonGeology.org website.
Heavy flooding this spring and summer has pumped so much fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico that many oysters have died – they require salt water to survive. As a result the oyster harvest could be cancelled or restricted to give oyster populations a chance to recover. This will severely hurt businesses and employees involved in the harvest, processing and sale of oyster products.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes and flooding during the first six months of this year have already made 2011 the record year for natural catastrophe losses. This free webinar from Munich Re provides an overview of the estimated $265 billion in losses.
Welcome to Geology News!
Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here.
Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive our news for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.
Advertising
Popular From Geology.com
Marcellus Shale: The most overlooked resource in the eastern United States!
Diamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Mineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without permission?
The Many Uses of Gold: Learn how the unique properties of gold make it extremely suited for a large number of industrial uses.
