- There are more than 10 million trillion gallons of water that powers its way across the planet.
To start off our flood facts, floods are the number one cause of death from extreme weather. Here are more flood facts about four ferocious floods.
There are more than 10 million trillion gallons of water that powers its way
across the planet. We can usually control water with the use of dams.
When water is uncontrolled, it’s turns into a flood and nothing can stop it. This is not one of the fun flood facts.
The most dangerous floods are unexpected flash floods and often happen in the world’s driest places.
Las Vegas 
Las Vegas is the second driest city in America and on August 19th 2003, a years worth of rain fell in less than an hour. The flood control basins meant to protect the city from flash floods were overwhelmed.
Water during the Las Vegas flood was 4 feet deep and moved at 25 miles an hour. A total of 60 people were airlifted and rescued from the floods that day. This is one of the best of the flood facts.
California Flood Facts
Northern California has one of the highest rainfall totals in the US. Dams and levies channel water down from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the orchards and vineyards of the Sacramento Valley.
The levies were built in the early 1900s and almost 100 years later in the
Winter of 1996, they were tested almost beyond their limits. 43 inches of rain fell and the reservoirs began to reach capacity. By December 30th, most of the reservoirs were full and water was being released on purpose because there was too much.
They released more and more water from the dam, hoping the levees below were going to keep up. They didn’t. One of the levees collapsed and there was nothing anyone could do about it. It flooded the area.
Britain
Boscastle’s Medieval Harbor sits at the bottom of a huge, natural funnel. The village is charming and has a beautiful river that runs through it.
The dark side of Boscastle is that any rainwater that falls through the deep valley rivers is channeled straight through the village. And in August 2004, at the height of their tourist season, a seven-mile wide storm stalled over the valley at the top of the village, 2 ½ miles upstream. The rain quickly rose to the top of the river banks and then down main street.
The parking lot at the top of the village had cars that started drifting downhill. Eventually, cars and vehicles began floating down the hill like little bobbers. This is not one of the better of the flood facts.
440 million gallons of rain flowed through Boscastle that day. With almost 1000 lives at stake, rescuers initiated the biggest air lift since WWII. After two hours, the water began to subside.
There were 84 vehicles lying wrecked at the harbor entrance before they started the search for victims. Turns out the flood hadn’t claimed a single life.
Caribbean Coast of Venezuela
Towns were crammed on to tiny floodplains by Spanish conquistadors, between steep mountains and the sea. Extreme rain in 1999 killed 30,000 people.
The water washed communities right off the hill. When the flood waters finally subsided, Los Corales was buried under gigantic boulders. 30 miles of coastline was smashed into the sea by water and debris.
“Fun” Flood Facts
- Just six inches of water is enough to sweep you off your feet.
- A foot of water can exert a third of a ton of pressure, enough to push a car around.
- A flow of less than two feet can move a heavy vehicle, like a fully loaded- cement mixer.
- The steeper the slope, the more powerful the flow of water.
- 60% of flood fatalities die in their cars.
- The faster water flows, the more dangerous it becomes.
What do you think of these facts so far? For Flood Facts From Four Ferocious Floods: Part Two, follow the link.
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