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Significant Floods in the United States During the 20th century - USGS Measures a Century of Floods

2000; United States Geological Survey; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3133/fs02400

2327-6932

Charles A. Perry,

Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies

Discharge measurements made during floods are used to develop stage-discharge relations at each gaging station. (Photograph, Lawrence Journal World, Lawrence, Kans.) United States in terms of number of lives lost and property damage. They can occur at any time of the year, in any part of the country, and at any time of the day or night. Most lives are lost when people are swept away by flood currents, whereas most property damage results from inundation by sediment-laden water. Flood currents also possess tremendous destructive power, as lateral forces can demolish buildings and erosion can undermine bridge foundations and footings leading to the collapse of structures. The accompanying map and table locate and describe 32 of the most significant floods of the 20th century. Floods are the result of a multitude of naturally occurring and human-induced factors, but they all can be defined as the accumulation of too much water in too little time in a specific area. Types of floods include regional floods, flash floods, ice-jam floods, storm-surge floods, damand levee-failure floods, and debris, landslide, and mudflow floods.