Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Module #16


1. Choose one natural disaster that involved flooding (other than the Red River flood in 1997) OR report on one UNIQUE fluvial (river or lake) system in the world.

Option #1: Include the geographic region, the major causes of the flood and the environmental and economic impacts. 

Option #2: Include the geographic location, the features of the system, wildlife, hydrology, etc.

2. Include a link to a photograph, map of location and a youtube video.

13 comments:

  1. The Great Mississippi flood of 1927, was the most destructive river flood to ever effect the USA. The major cause of the flood was the extensive downpours of rain in the area of Mississippi. When the flooding occurred at its breaking point was when the levees in place broke due to a pressure of water greater than that produced by Niagara Falls. The flooding totalled a land mass area more than 27,000 square kilometres and caused over 400 million dollars of damage. The impact on the people was substantial causes catastrophic totals of property damage and killing 246 people. An economic impact after the flood was the major project taken on by the Mississippi government which was to build the worlds longest levee system ever, to help protect the city and its people from another event similar in the future. Many animals were effected in the flooding as well, destroying thousands of ecosystems and leaving no habitat for animals after.



    Map- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/1927_LA_Flood_Map.jpg
    Photo- https://www.google.ca/search?q=natural+flooding+disaster&aq=f&oq=natural+flooding+disaster&aqs=chrome.0.57j60j0l3j60&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&hl=en-US#hl=en&gs_rn=11&gs_ri=tablet-gws-psy&pq=famous%20natural%20flooding%20disaster&cp=13&gs_id=1p&xhr=t&q=great+mississippi+flood+of+1927&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=tablet-gws&oq=great+mississ&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.&fp=bc5427986bf6faf9&biw=1024&bih=672&biv=i%7C0%3Bd%7Cq0ebZEpYgCz7VM%3A
    YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGs2iLoDUYE

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest cyclone during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Camille reached speeds of 190 miles per hour. The storm formed on August 14th in the Gulf of Mexico and rapidly deepened. It scraped the Western edge of Cuba. Camille was one of the most strongest tropical cyclones recorded worldwide. The hurricane flattened nearly everything on the U.S coast of Mississippi. In total, Camille killed 259 people in total, and cause $1.42 billion in damages. To this day, reasons for the huge cyclone are not achieved.

    Image: https://www.google.ca/search?q=hurricane+camille&aq=0&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=x_1_UdCJI-bl0gH814GYCg&biw=768&bih=880&sei=yv1_UcmvN-S70AH0zIHYBg#biv=i%7C4%3Bd%7Cx2-bRv72kN0zAM%3A

    Video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yBsHreetAe4

    ReplyDelete
  3. In 2006 the Democratic People's Republic of Korea suffered its worst flood in its short history. There have been several different separate claims on the death toll and number of people missing or displaced. The North Korean government have given a vague number of over one hundred dead and missing, while the United Nations and the Red Cross have both given estimates of approximately 150+ killed. A South Korean aid group has given a massive number of around 54,000 people who have been killed in the flood. The flood has displaced thousands and destroyed tons of food for an already famished country. The flood is believed to have been caused mainly by extensive rain water being too overpowering for weak dam structures in North Korea. The floods caused heavy agricultural damage alongside the heavy loss of life and homes. The main provinces affected were South Pyongan, North Hwanghae, Kangwon, and South Hamgyong. Claims have also been made that the government of North Korea had turned down offers made by the United Nations and Red Cross.

    References:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_North_Korea_flooding
    http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/231742.html
    http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1653130,00.html
    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrIovQeLIY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0nrIovQeLIY

    ReplyDelete
  4. In January this year the country of Mozambique in Africa was faced with serious flooding. This country is the outlet of nine major rivers in the area. Flooding was caused by tropical cyclones that passed through the area, resulting in extensive amounts of rainfall. The rainfall caused the Zambezi River to overflow, as well as the Limpopo River Basin to flood. Over 150 000 people had to evacuate their homes and approxamitely 55 people were reported dead. Damage reached at least $25 000 , if not more, as estimated by the UN. Many homes, schools and healthcare centres were destroyed. Many people did not have access to clean water in their displaced locations as many of the sources were contaminated due to the flood.

    Resources: http://www.voanews.com/content/united-nations-reports-devastating-damages-after-mozambique-flood/1595319.html
    Picture:http://gdb.voanews.com/49897437-ADCA-4D77-A504-F4E7BB5E4899_mw1024_n_s.jpg
    Map:https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzth2w3eMrR9szLmCt8nDjtU_jxsGjQ5r5MdWxaC7_0NvsTUZHHw
    Video:http://m.youtube.com/results?q=mozambique%20floods%202013#/watch?v=SyHi5FmpmRQ

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hurricane Katrina was a deadly and destructive Atlantic hurricane. Hurricane Katrina commenced in 2005, and is best known for its destruction of Louisiana and the Greater New Orleans area. This southern state's major city was flooded by hurricane Katrina's path of demolition. This contemporary natural disaster afforded for $81 billion in property damage. The cause of this flood is do to the geography of New Orleans, the hurricane existed as a category 1 hurricane while near Florida, but with unusually warm water in the Gulf Mexico hurricane Katrina quickly gained strength, then categorizing as a level 5 hurricane. New Orleans a city known to be made below sea level has levees to keep itself dry. The wet lands, marshes, and swamps, were not enough to hold back hurricane Katrina from terrorizing Louisiana. The levees broke and New Orleans and much its surrounding towns and smaller cities were flooded. The destruction hurricane Katrina imposed on Louisiana's wetlands is detrimental, one because the balance of the ecosystem has been thrown way off track but also because the wetlands that surround Louisiana are a protecting barrier between the lives of people and the damaging affects of future hurricanes, it will take years and years for the wetlands to restore themselves, and Louisiana and New Orleans being such a hot spot for tremendously powerful hurricanes, New Orleans could be attacked more devastatingly than what concluded in 2005 if another hurricane strolls through unusually warm temperature in the Gulf of Mexico.

    http://commons.trincoll.edu/edreform/files/2012/05/flooding1.jpg

    http://www.world-guides.com/images/new_orleans/map1_new_orleans.jpg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoxKQx1lF2w

    ReplyDelete
  6. India is prone to the natural disaster of flooding. India is situated on the Ganges delta and the many tributaries flowing into the bay of Bengal. In 2004, Bangladesh was flooded with its occasional flooding that occurred. This region is also 80% flood plains. Some of the causes of the flooding is from the melting of the himalayas and from the monsoon season. These are significant inputs to the flooding of this region each year.Each year, Bangladesh is flooded with 26,000 km squared of water. The flooding affects the countries economic status massively because the flooding occurs a lot which means the flow of money comes to a stop constantly. The environmental state that Bangladesh is left in affects the habitats that are now water-logged. Therefore after this 2004 incident, Bangladesh is affected through their financial sector and also the biological sector.

    video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhgf05ll_20
    map:http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=2B1KfFJg8y0yLM&tbnid=CriCe97X0gyFGM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.factmonster.com%2Fatlas%2Fcountry%2Fbangladesh.html&ei=9G6AUdzBA5HvrAGYzICICw&psig=AFQjCNHT0n6YIPAJ2tYXuPk01N7sbGPfPg&ust=1367457908102185

    picture: http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=bangladesh+flood+of+2004&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=659&tbm=isch&tbnid=EODmapkScqAcOM:&imgrefurl=https://thegeographyofblackwood.wikispaces.com/Yr%2B8%2BAssessment%2BTasks&docid=unBW6WRwpZQsfM&imgurl=https://thegeographyofblackwood.wikispaces.com/file/view/bangladesh_floods.jpg/124521103/bangladesh_floods.jpg&w=416&h=300&ei=g26AUYb_AYbtrQGVwYFQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:2,s:0,i:89&iact=rc&dur=1576&page=1&tbnh=182&tbnw=264&start=0&ndsp=17&tx=143&ty=113

    ReplyDelete
  7. In 1993, record-breaking flooding occurred throughout the Midwest (i.e. North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois) all along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. At the time of the flooding, approximately 600 river forecast points were above flooding level and 150 major rivers and tributaries were affected. All in all, at least 10,000 houses were destroyed and 15 million acres of farmland was inundated. In terms of casualties, however, only 50 people died, due to the major evacuation which took place in the earlier stages of the flooding.

    The flooding itself was caused by very intense rainfall over the two months in which this flood had been experienced. In the June of 1993, there had been continuous rainfall for 20 days, with rainfall totals surpassing 12 inches in the Dakotas and 24 inches in Kansas.

    PHOTOGRAPH:
    http://mo.water.usgs.gov/Reports/1993-Flood/images/midscan13.jpg

    MAP:
    http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/floods/papers/oh_2/greatf1a.jpg

    VIDEO:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29SmyEjoNEM

    REFERENCES:
    http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/floods/papers/oh_2/great.htm
    http://mo.water.usgs.gov/Reports/1993-Flood/

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Nile river is the longest river in the world.It is located in Africa and extends through a large number of African countries. It is 6650km long and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile basin accounts for about 1/10 of the continent. In the summer the Nile floods, this is the result of rain in Ethiopia. The flooding is now regulated but it used to cause crop failure, famine and disease.

    The Nile is home to a large variety of plant and animals. One of the most known animals that lives here is the the Nile crocodile. There are a a number of different fish species that live in the Nile. The Nile perch is one type of fish specie. Lizards, snakes and soft-shelled turtles are also found. The hippopotamus can also be found in one section of the river.

    The water from the Nile provides rich soil for farming. Irrigation is used here and is thought to have originated in Egypt. The Nile also creates shipping routes.

    References

    http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/415347/Nile-River
    http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/nileriver.html

    Video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE2YZZgZWdE

    Map
    http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/dyn/images/5/4087.jpg

    Picture

    http://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/nile7.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hurricane Sandy was an extremely destructive and deadly hurricane that occurred in October 2012 in the Mid-Atlantic United States. It's considered to be the 18th "named storm" (for example, Hurricane Katrina). Sandy was a Category 3 hurricane when it had it's highest peak in Cuba, when in the states, it was a Category 2, it became the largest Atlantic Hurricane on record. The hurricane caused severe damage in New York, flooding streets and subways and cutting power for the entire city. The hurricane affected a total of 24 states. The total Death toll for every country affected was 147 people with 21 people missing, and Sandy caused an estimaed $75 billion in damages

    References:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hurricane-sandy-2012/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy

    Map:
    http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/508e8434ecad042f34000000-1501-846/googles-hurricane-sandy-map.jpg?maxX=900

    Picture:
    http://also.kottke.org/misc/images/breezy-point-fire.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  10. On April 5th, 2013, a massive flood hit Argentina after long and heavy rainfall. At least 57 people were killed and half a million people were left without power in their homes, and faced a lot of difficulties getting clean drinking water, food and other essentials. Water rose as high as two metres in some houses, and a refinery near the capital of Argentina suffered fire damage that proved to be difficult to extinguish in the heavy rainfall. The high amounts of water have shattered many lives.

    http://i.guim.co.uk/n/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/4/5/1365150846344/Argentina-floods-010.jpg

    References:
    bbc.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  11. November 11, 1970 Bhola Cyclone hit East Pakistan, which is also known today as Bangladesh.
    This was the most destructive and devastating natural disaster ever recorded as a category 3 hurricane killing up to 500,000 people. The main causes if death were due tote flooding of the Ganges-Delta islands. It's winds reached up to 185km/h.
    Photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:November_1970_Bhola_Cyclone.jpg
    Map: http://www.topnews.in/death-toll-cyclone-rises-further-113-bangladesh-2171932
    Video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gkcuZoR6XSU (WARNING, a little graphic)
    Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Bhola_cyclone

    ReplyDelete
  12. In January 1974 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, significant flooding occured in the waterways of the city. The Brisbane River, a major fluvial component of the area, overflowed into the surrounding land. Resulting from a spring with high levels of precipitation, the river was almost at its full capacity. When Cyclone Wanda hit the area, it finally broke its banks. Throughout a 36 hour period, approximately 642 mm of rain fell in Brisbane. This amount of heavy and continual precipitation lasted for 3 weeks prior to the flood, finally reaching flood level on Sunday, January 27th of the Australia Day weekend. The floods rose to 22 feet, and 14 people died, including members of the military reserve. 8,500 homes were flooded, and the disaster meant that the nation's economy lost its export infrastructure as many goods were destroyed and access became difficult. The movement of water meant that many fresh water bodies were contaminated by salt water, and the habitats of much wildelife were destroyed. Many houses were subject to damage from land subsidence and erosion as a result of high water levels. Ultimately, 1318mm fell during Wanda, and very high levels of flooding occured, destroying both environmental and economical aspects of Brisbane and Australia.
    Photo:http://www.rabybay.org/images/brisbane_flood_1974/brisbane_flood_1974_02.jpg
    Map:http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/01/13/1974Map2.jpg
    Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KIzyHqM6x4

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Johnstown flood is also known as Great Flood of 1889.The flood was caused due to heavy rain falls and the failure of the South Fork Dam, which was situated at the upstream of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA.The flood resulted in death of 2,200 people and the damage of property worth US$ 17 million. It was the first major disaster for which Red Cross handled relief effort and provided services.

    Photo:
    http://s3.hubimg.com/u/3380334_f1024.jpg

    ReplyDelete