The weather Part 3 - Floods - General information and questions for kids Gr 2-4

Imagine you are sitting in your house watching the rain. It has been raining for many many days without stopping and the water is rising.  Do you stay in your house, do you climb on the roof?  

Floods can cause a lot of damage to nature and building and even kill animals and people.

Lets have a look at some facts on floods  - make sure you also listen carefully to the videos and can remember some or all what was said.  Try and re-tell it or write it down.

A flood is when areas that are usually dry now are covered with a lot of water.  Many times it can happen that people do not even know a flood is coming.  It can happen in a few minutes with lots of rain or a dam wall that breaks, or it can happen over a longer time.

There are many types and ways floods can occur, including, due to overflowing rivers, due to extreme coastal events, by natural or artificial ground saturation from excess rainfall, or by catastrophic failure in infrastructure. 

The most common type of flooding that will happen is when a river overflows its banks.  If there are more water that moves fast than what the river can handle, it will flood the area next to the river.

A 'flash flood' is when a lot of water from the river suddenly flood its banks.  This will happen when the water was stopped by something like mud or a landslide or a dam wall and it gathers and then the structure breaks.  All the water is released at once.

The flooding in an urban are (where there are buildings) will occur if there is more water that can be taken up by the ground.  This usually happens if it rains a lot.

Floods that occur on the seaside or estuary (where the river enters the ocean) is because the tides that goes higher and the waves that can break down barriers like walls.

When there is a huge flood, a lot can be washed away or damaged.  Not only will people loose their possessions and houses, but some can loose their lives and will also be left without any sewage systems or electricity or fresh water.  Can you imagine how scary it must be to be caught in a flood and then you loose everything?

You would think that once the water is gone, you can just move back in your house, but there will be lots of debris and contamination like fuel and sewage that needs to be cleaned.  It takes a long time for an area to recover from a flood.

Natural flooding of river plains and deltas each year are essential for farming in many areas of the world as the waters bring nutrient rich silt deposits that create very fertile alluvial soils. 

Watch the following video, listen carefully and answer the questions. (you can even switch off the sound and practice reading the information by yourself.)

1. What is a flood?
2. Why is flooding dangerous?
3. What is the natural behavior of water?
4. Give a few reasons for flooding.
5. Name 4 types of floods.
6. What is a flash flood and why are they so dangerous?
7. Which type of flood will give people some time to get away?
8. Give some tips on what you can do before there is a flood (if you know about one coming).

Make sure you read the safety tips here.