Introduction
Natural disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, Tsunami and so forth cause immense danger in various parts of the world and render the region of the world inhabitable. However, unlike other natural disasters, flooding is not localized as it can happen virtually in any part of the world.
More so, an important question to ask is what is flooding? Few (2003) argued that the term flooding can be used in referring different events. He added that it could refer to events of varying magnitudes with different causes. This could be attributed with overflow of rivers due to prolonged and excessive rainfalls. In addition, melting of snow in mountainous regions, cracking of dams, inadequate drainage system, accumulation of rainwater and the interference of seawater onto land during cyclonic surges also contribute in phenomena of flooding.
Flooding as a natural disaster is disastrous, and its economic, social and environmental impacts are well spelt out. Teixeira & Haddad (2014) pointed out that flooding grounds physical destruction that leads to economic and financial issues. In Sao Paulo, flooding caused inconveniences such as the cessation of goods and people due to lack of the requisite drainage in the urban centers (Teixeira & Haddad, 2014). It also causes economic losses because regions where flooding affects shut down production and hence the economy is directly or indirectly affected.
Scientific studies suggest that climatic changes cause shifts in global pattern and intensity of flood events. "The widespread increase in the risk of flooding for many human settlements", and "‘impacts of future changes in climate extremes are expected to fall disproportionately on the poor." These two quotes were specified by the working group of "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” in 2001 (Few, 2003, P 43). The only way out of this particular menace is to adopt mitigation strategies to minimize or avert the impacts of this disaster (Few, 2003). Reforestation, building of adequate drainage system, good urban planning and so forth are effective mitigation strategies. This paper delineates flooding that has economic, social and environment concerns, and there is a need to adopt mitigation strategies to minimize the impacts of this disaster.
References
Few, R (2003). Flooding, Vulnerability and Coping Strategies: Local Responses to a Global Threat. Progress in Development Studies, 3 (1), 43–58.
Haddad, E.A. & Teixeira, A., (2014). Economic impacts of natural disasters in megacities: The case of floods in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Habitat International, 1-8.
