Flooding can damage roads, buildings, and homes. It also destroys fish habitat and pollutes spawning grounds. Floods can also contaminate water with chemicals and bacteria that spread diseases such as typhoid and cholera.
Wildfires change the terrain and vegetation, making it more likely to flood during rainstorms. It only takes a small amount of rain to trigger a mudflow or flash flood on a burned slope. To learn more about Utah Flood And Fire keep reading the article below.
Floods destroy lives and properties, and they change the shape of land areas permanently. They also cause serious damage to roads and bridges, and they can disrupt or even take out power lines and telecommunication systems. In addition, floods can contaminate drinking water and spread infectious diseases. Moreover, they can displace people from their homes and leave them homeless. In addition, floods can cause economic loss by destroying crops and businesses and by causing property values to decrease in affected areas.
The most obvious form of flood damage is the inundation of a home or business by rising waters. However, the exact definition of “flood damage” varies from insurer to insurer. Generally, most insurance companies define flood damage as the overflow of a body of water (such as an ocean or river) onto dry land that is at least two acres in size and affects two or more properties. Insurance policies often cover only certain types of flood damage, such as damage from rising waters caused by severe storms or a broken levee.
In addition to destroying property, floods can create health hazards by spreading bacteria, viruses, and chemical contaminants. Standing flood waters can also carry debris that may be hazardous, as well as live electrical wires and gas leaks. These dangers can pose a serious threat to human life, especially for those without the proper safety equipment.
If your home or business has been flooded, it’s important to contact a professional restoration company immediately. The restoration experts will inspect the damage and determine the best course of action to restore your property. They will take several factors into account, including the level of damage, the type of cleaning required, and the best methods for removing the water from the property.
It’s essential to remove the water from a flooded home slowly and thoroughly to prevent the walls and floors from buckling. The best way to do this is by using pumps or pails to remove the water, followed by a wet or dry shop vacuum. In addition, it’s essential to sanitize all appliances and utensils that came into contact with the flood water to protect against illness.
Toxic chemicals
When chemical storage tanks and other facilities are flooded, toxic chemicals spill into water bodies. These substances can be found at hazardous waste sites and in household and commercial products that we use daily, such as cleaners, medications, fuel oil, paint, and pesticides. The chemicals can have serious health consequences for humans.
The toxins released by floodwaters from petrochemical plants were largely overshadowed by the record-setting deluge that drowned Houston in 2017. County, state, and federal records pieced together by the AP and the Chronicle reveal a far more widespread environmental assault than officials publicly acknowledged.
Explosions, fires, and chemical releases occur at industrial facilities all the time. They expose the surrounding communities to hazards, including injury from debris, inhalation or skin exposure to smoke and chemicals, and burns.
When gas tanks are damaged or leak, the flammable, volatile hydrocarbons inside combust. The resulting explosion causes a chemical fire, which can release benzene, methyl chloride, butadiene, furans, and other chemicals into the atmosphere, poisoning people by inhalation or exposure to smoke.
Toxic chemicals can also be delivered to surface waters by episodic runoff events, effluent discharges from treatment failures, leaks, and spills. These short-term exposures can cause acute toxicity and kill some or all aquatic organisms. Continuous, low-level exposures from point sources, atmospheric deposition, and contaminated groundwater can result in impairment of aquatic plant, invertebrate, or fish assemblages through chronic, sublethal effects of long-term, low-level concentrations.
Water quality criteria provide useful benchmarks for the levels of certain chemicals that may pose unacceptable risks to aquatic organisms. The criteria are based on the environmental chemistry of each chemical, its availability in a water body, and its toxicological characteristics (e.g., test durations, endpoints, species sensitivity, and biomagnification).
When harmful chemicals are released in an area, residents should tune in to local emergency alert systems on the radio or TV for instructions on whether they should stay where they are or move. If someone suspects they have been exposed to a chemical, it is important to immediately move to fresh air and flush the skin with large amounts of liquid.
Trees
Trees are an important part of a healthy garden, but they can also cause damage in a flood. The brute force of water can undermine large trunks and major branches, which may then fall. When this occurs, it’s essential to clear away any debris that is threatening your safety. This is particularly true if you live on a slope, where the gravity of the resulting debris-laden mudslide can be deadly.
Many plants are able to survive short periods of flooding, but the water’s duration and depth can damage their root systems. In addition, the muddy conditions can interrupt the normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the roots and their environment, causing a slow death by starvation.
The severity of this problem depends on the type and beginning condition of the tree, the length of the flood, the soil composition, the time of year flooding occurs, and the amount of sediment deposited over the roots. The latter problem can range from a few inches to several feet of silt, sand, or clay, which bury the original roots and suffocate them. The best way to prevent this type of damage is to remove the new deposits as soon as possible once water levels recede.
If you can’t do this right away, apply a 2 1/2 to 3-inch layer of organic mulch in a flat layer beneath the affected trees. This will help reduce the amount of oxygen suffocated by the surface, allowing the roots to survive. Keep the area well watered during dry summer periods for the next several years as the tree regrows its roots.
In some cases, even healthy trees may die of water-logged roots, and they can easily succumb to fungal diseases or insect infestations after a flood. In these situations, it’s important to monitor your trees and take prompt action. If you notice any signs of stress after a flood, such as leaf chlorosis (yellowing), reduced watersprout growth, early fall coloration, or a small seed crop, you should consult an arborist to see whether the tree can recover.
Appliances
Household appliances account for a significant portion of flood damage claims. Thorough inspection and maintenance can reduce the risk of appliance failure, but even the most diligent oversight cannot entirely eliminate this threat. Many household appliances use electric motors that can be compromised by exposure to floodwater. Electrical equipment and HVAC systems should never be used after a flood unless they have been thoroughly inspected and evaluated by qualified professionals. If gas-operated equipment is involved, a rotten-egg odor may indicate that gas lines have shifted or ruptured, putting occupants at serious risk of injury and property damage. This can also pose a fire risk and should be dealt with immediately.