Flood Barrier USA

2011: Worst Year Ever for Floods?

Author: Donna Conneely

As the year 2011 winds to a close many are saying that this could be the worst year ever for floods. Every part of the globe was affected; the only continent that escaped inundation was Antarctica. Not only was flooding widespread throughout the planet, but the floods were more vicious than had been seen for decades. Worst flooding in 50 years, 100 years, even 150 years- screamed the headlines. Some floods were simply declared to be the worst ever in recorded history.

Let’s take a quick look back at some of the most devastating floods of the year, starting with the the disastrous month of January, during which there were major floods on three continents. In the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro (which means “River of January” in Portuguese) the month was a nightmare for residents and business owners. Flooding in five cities led to mudslides and landslides that claimed over 900 lives. Only one other natural disaster, in 1967, took more lives, making 2011 the 2nd deadliest year in Brazilian history.

January of 2011 also brought extreme flooding in the state of Victoria in Australia. Unusually intense rainfall followed by Tropical Storm Yasi deluged the area and caused repeated flash flooding events. This was particularly devastating due to the fact that these same areas were still recovering from major flooding of a year earlier. The total damage bill has been estimated to be near $2 billion.

Incredibly, a major flooding event took place in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia, also in January. Jeddah, the 2nd largest city in Saudi Arabia, had been ravaged by floods in 2009, but the rainfall in 2011 surpassed the record set in that year. In just over four hours the cumulative rainfall exceeded 100 cm- this in an area where the normal annual rainfall is just 50 cm. Residents blame municipal authorities for failure to prevent the flooding in any way. There is no storm drain system and there are no levees, flood barriers, or flood panels of any kind to protect the city.

During the months of April and May the Mississippi River in the USA overflowed its banks in a spectacular way, approaching or exceeding the extreme devastation that occurred in 1993 and 1927. The disaster was caused by the combination of two gargantuan storms that dumped massive amounts of rain on the Mississippi watershed, which joined the unusually heavy snow-melt that was being fed into the mighty river via tributaries. The resulting accumulation of water flooded huge areas of seven states, and required the opening of the Moganza Spillway, which intentionally flooded 4600 square miles of rural land to save the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Almost 400 people lost their lives in incidents related to storms and flooding. However, even in the midst of this extreme flooding, those who had installed levees or flood panels were able to remain dry- witness this incredible photo of a farmer who was able to hold back the ruinous flood-waters. (Click to see slideshow on Huffingpost.com)

In Europe, floods caused damage and loss of life in France, Italy, and Ireland.  Thousands of homes and businesses were completely destroyed in Ireland, where flash floods repeatedly pounded areas throughout the country. In Dublin, one of Europe’s biggest shopping centers was completely inundated, with five feet of water rushing into the mall unimpeded by flood panels or barriers. This is an excellent example of a business complex that could have been saved by the timely installation of automatic flood panels. Flash flooding in France and Italy also caused loss of life and massive damage to buildings and businesses.

Perhaps the worst flooding of the year took place in Thailand, where flooding has been an ongoing problem from July to the present month of December — six months of flooding! Almost 13 million people have been affected, and the property damage has been estimated at $45 billion. Six million hectares of land were under water, and many major industrial parks were swallowed by ten feet of water. Ripple effects from the damage in these industrial areas have been far-reaching due to the fact that almost 25% of the world’s computer hard drives come out of these factories. The automotive industry has been similarly affected due to breaks in the supply chain as factories begin the herculean clean-up efforts to get the conveyor belts rolling once again.

In all of these flood-prone areas, more of the same can safely be predicted for the near future. It is imperative that companies affected by the apocalyptic floods of 2011 prepare for the next disaster by implementing a flood emergency response plan that will protect assets and prevent lengthy periods during which production is halted. When it comes to floods, an ounce of prevention can do more good than many pounds of slow, painful cure.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 10:34 am and is filed under Flood Protection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.