Continuing our list of the worst floods in history:
4. Banqiao Dam Failure, China: In 1975 a collision between Super-Typhoon Nina and a severe cold front caused more than a year’s rainfall in 24 hours. Communications to the dam, which held 492 million cubic metres of water and supplied most of China’s main cities power supply, were lost due to a wiring failure. The breakdown of this and several other small dams, caused an overflow of several small water bodies, resulting in half of the enormous expanse of China being under water. Around 160,000 people were killed and a million people were left under water for nine days. Unfortunately the disaster and rescue teams failed to reach survivors and many people starved to death.
5. Yangtze River Flood, China: The Yangtze River Flood, 1935 was one of the worst disasters that China has ever experienced. It killed around 145,000 people, injured and displaced millions. Worse was the after-effects, which were so dire that the people who survived suffered slow, agonising death due to little or no food.
6. St. Felix’s Flood, Netherlands: The 5th of November 1530 became known as ‘Evil Saturday’ due to parts of Flanders and Zeeland being washed away in a flood. Apart from the city of Reimerswaal, eighteen villages were washed away, and whole of ‘East Yerseke’. More than 120,000 people were killed and the property loss was approximated to be more than $100 million.
7. Hanoi and Red River Delta Flood, North Vietnam: The impact of this catastrophe was felt doubly hard due to it taking place in August 1971 during the war. Heavy rains hit the city of Hanoi continuously and intensely causing the Red River Delta to flood, killing more than 100,000 people. After this flood, which left millions of people in extreme hardship due to the loss of housing and vital crops, dams were built to create artificial river tributaries. In spite of all these efforts, the Red River is still vulnerable to floods.
8. Yangtze River Flood, China: The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third longest river in the world. This river is susceptible to floods, with the flood of 1911 being one of the most devastating. This flood made around 375,000 homeless and killed around 100,000 people.
9. St. Lucia’s Flood, Netherlands: A ‘storm tide’ hit Netherlands and North Germany on December 12, 1287 and took the lives of around 70,000 people. Some of the towns like ‘Friesland’ became completely submerged. After the flood, the affected areas were was left with pockets of water everywhere.
10. North Sea Flood, Netherlands: This flood began in June, 1212 in the Netherlands with a slight drizzle. It caused huge loss of lives, collapsed roads, and displaced and destroyed buildings. The rebuilding process took two years.
The list of floods we have discussed in our two posts on the subject makes us realise just how destructive water can be. Most of these floods have been the work of mother nature. Still, we have to be mindful of any human activities that might contribute to man-made floods.
(Photos by elnias and lindemhcz)
