Explain the damages caused by floods
Answers
Answer:
Floods have large social consequences for communities and individuals. As most people are well aware, the immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases.
Answer:
Robert Nicholls, ... Phoebe Koundouri, in Coastal Risk Management in a Changing Climate, 2015
2.5 Flood Damage
Flood damage is defined as all the varieties of harm provoked by flooding. It includes all detrimental effects on people, their health, and properties; on public and private infrastructure, ecological systems, cultural heritage, and economic activities (Messner & Meyer, 2006). Understanding the nature of flood damage is important in assessing flood risk. For most people, the benefits of flood risk reduction at the coast is the direct flood damage on property and economic activity avoided as a result of schemes to reduce either the frequency or impact of flooding (Penning-Rowsell et al., 2013). However, the consequences of flooding for people are more complex. Following Smith and Ward (1998), we can classify flood losses into direct and indirect losses. Direct losses are caused by the physical contact of the floodwater with humans, property, or other objects, and the location of the flood will indirectly affect networks and social activities, causing indirect losses (e.g., disruptions of traffic, trade, and public services). Further, we can distinguish between immediate or long-term consequences and tangible or intangible consequences. Such consequences depend on the land uses found within the floodplain. Immediate impacts of flooding can include loss of human life, damage to property and infrastructure, and destruction of crops and livestock. Examples of long-term impacts include the interruption to communication networks and critical infrastructure (such as power plants, roads, hospitals, etc.) that can have significant impacts on social and economic activities. More difficult to assess are the intangible impacts; for example, the psychological effects of loss of life, displacement, and property damage can be long-lasting (see Table 2.4). Methods of assessing these impacts are equally varied. They range from quantitative (financial or economic) to more qualitative approaches (see Chapter 6)