Flood scene (Image courtesy of EMA) - More>>
What is a flood?
A simple definition of flooding is water where it is not wanted. Another, more comprehensive definition of a flood is:
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from overflow of inland or tidal waters from the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
Floods can have both positive and negative impacts. They can bring welcome relief for people and ecosystems suffering from prolonged drought, but also are estimated to be the most costly natural disaster in Australia.
Every year in Australia, floods cause millions of dollars damage to buildings and critical infrastructure, such as roads and railways as well as to agricultural land and crops. They also disrupt business and can affect the health of communities.
The floods in the summer of 1998-99 in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales affected 83,500 people, including 6,710 who were left homeless. The floods also resulted in 15 deaths and 169 recorded injuries. The total estimated cost was A$990 million, of which only A$184 million was covered by insurance.
Interesting Fact
The average direct annual cost of flooding between 1967 and 1999 has been estimated at A$314 million. During the same period, there have been at least 99 flood related deaths and 1,019 recorded injuries (Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics, 2001)
The losses due to flooding vary widely from year to year and are dependent on a number of factors such as the severity of a flood and its location. The most costly year for floods was 1974, when events resulted in a total cost of A$2.9 billion (Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics, 2001). More recently, floods in 1990 in southern Queensland, northern New South Wales and southeast Victoria cost A$1 billion and inundated an area larger than Germany.