Water sustains life and the planet earth, but it also becomes life-threatening during floods. Weather station broadcast flash flood alerts, and weather sirens may even sound, but warnings cannot stop the sudden danger of flooding. Below are 4 facts that show just how unpredictable and treacherous floods can be.
The 1985 eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano triggered a flood that took more than 20,000 lives. The volcano, which is located in Tolima, Colombia, has massive glaciers on its summit. The eruption melted the glaciers and in just a couple of hours, an aggressive flood engulfed a village at the bottom of the volcano. The floodwaters traveled at a rate of 39 feet per second and had depths of up to 100 feet.
Floodwaters are so powerful that just 6 inches of water can knock down an average-sized adult, and 2 feet of water can sweep away a car
The Great Flood lasted from May to September 1993 and occurred when levees on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers broke. The flood affected an area 500 miles long and 200 miles wide and covered a total of 9 states (Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota). Unfortunately, 50 people lost their lives. About 50,000 homes were leveled, 12,000 miles of farmland were ruined, and 75 towns were underwater. The total damage was more than $15 billion.
The Huang He River in China is responsible for the floods of 1887, 1931, and 1938. The 1931 flood is infamously known as the most catastrophic flood in the world. It killed between 145,000 and 4 million people and destroyed the homes of 80 million people.
Act now to protect yourself and your family from a flood. Call Earth Networks at (301) 417-5244 or fill out the online contact form.
