Some Common Facts
- No region is safe from flooding. All 50 states are subject to flash floods.
- Flash floods can bring walls of water from 10 to 20 feet high.
- A car can be taken away in as little as 2 feet of water.
- To stay safe during a flood, go to the highest ground of floor possible. If your skin comes in contact with flood water, make sure to wash it with soap and disinfected water because the contents are unknown.
- Floods are the most widespread natural disaster aside from wildfires. 90% of all U.S. natural disasters declared by the President involve some sort of flooding.
- Just 6 inches of rapidly moving flood water has the strength to knock a person down
- Flooding poses tremendous danger to both people and property. Since 1900, floods have taken more than 10,000 lives in the United States.
- Flood losses in the United States averaged $2.4 billion per year for the last decade. Floods are the number one natural disaster in the United States.
- Based on Floodsmart, a 2,000 square foot home undergoing 12 inches of water damage could cost more than $50,000.
Some Historical Facts
The great Mississippi River Flood of 1993 covered an area 500 miles long and 200 miles wide. More than 50,000 homes were damaged, and 12,000 miles of farmland was destroyed. The Big Thompson Flood in Colorado in 1976, killed 140 people . 95% of those killed in this flash flood tried to outrun the waters along their path rather than climbing rocks or going uphill to higher grounds. The Yellow River (Huang He) in China has had the four deadliest flood events in world history. The floods of 1931 resulted in 1 to 4 million people being killed. Hurricane Katrina was the largest and 3rd strongest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in the US. The final death toll was at 1,836, primarily from Louisiana (1,577) and Mississippi (238). Hurricane Katrina caused $81 billion in property damages, but it is estimated that the total economic impact in Louisiana and Mississippi may exceed $150 billion, earning the title of costliest hurricane ever in US history. |