The Influence of Floods on the Environment

Plant Life

• When very heavy rainfall is followed by flooding, woody plants and herbaceous plants cannot survive the onslaught. On the other hand, there are several plant species that remain unaffected. Most plants can tolerate up to two days of flooding, but flooding for a week or more can cause injury and death to sensitive shrubs and trees, such as sugar maple, linden, hickory, mulberry, yellow-wood, cherry and plum trees. Younger trees and shrubs would offer resistance, while trees whose leaves have dried up and have faded would be unable to bear the pressure of the water flow.

Farmlands

• Soil saturation over a prolonged period of time due to flooding will affect crops negatively. Flooding causes oxygen deprivation for crops, and causes a change in the nutrient status of the plants through leaching. The combined effects of long-term flooding will cause crops to rot and eventually die, leading to huge losses for farmers.

Soil Erosion

• Heavy rainfall and flooding washes away nutrients from soil, leading to erosion. When soil loses its essential nutrients, it becomes infertile and acidic, leaving it prone to cracking under the heat of the sun. When trees are damaged by flooding, soil erosion occurs, leading to permanent damage of the land area.

Coral Reefs

• Nutrients and sediments carried by flood waters settle into the sea, seriously disturbing reef ecosystems. Flooding causes a disruption in the delicate balance of the ecosystem, changing the water in which small reef-building animals thrive.

Human Life

• Flooding can cause loss of human life. Injury, homelessness and starvation can result when people trapped by flood waters become difficult or impossible to reach. Some of the most common consequences of floods are human death and homelessness. The remaining people are most likely to incur health diseases, thanks to the pollution in the environment.

Property and Infrastructure

• Bridges and buildings have been known to collapse due to floods. Houses can get submerged, leading to huge financial losses and disruption of daily life. Building damage releases such toxic materials as paint, gasoline and pesticides into the flood waters. These materials are then get carried to lakes, seas and rivers. Floods can destroy drainage systems, causing raw sewage to pollute natural bodies of water, killing marine life.