Flood Case Study

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2.3 Flooding Background
Floods are the most common natural disaster as well as the leading cause of natural disaster fatalities worldwide. (Doocy S., Daniels A., Murray S., & Kirsch TD., 2013). Schanze et al., 2006, also indicate that flooding is one of the most threatening natural hazards in the world. Musa and Usman, (2013) assert that, flooding has the largest damage potential and affects a larger number of people when compared to other natural disasters. According to Munich, 2015, due to flood disaster, there have been a proportionate increase in economic losses, loss of human lives and livelihoods, environmental damages and destruction to social infrastructure during the last forty years. The annual average of floods, 127 in the previous …show more content…

For example, collapse of buildings and bridges, destruction of farmlands, loss of human life are all primary effects of floods. It is the immediate effect of flooding and such damages mostly requires without delays resources to help the affected victims.

Secondary Effects of Flooding
Nelson, A., Stephen states clearly that, secondary effects occur only because a primary effect has caused them. These are generally the disruption in service delivery such as contamination of water supply (especially if sewerage treatment plants are flooded), disruption of electricity supply and transportation systems. Disruption of transportation systems occur when bridges are broken and parts of roads are washed away.

Tertiary Effects
Tertiary effects include the long term effect of the primary event. For example, the loss of habitat due to flood is a tertiary effect. Permanent changes in the position of a river channel caused by flood, new channels of rivers may develop, debris and sediment deposited by flooding may destroy farmland. Jobs may be lost due to the disruption of services and destruction of infrastructure but on the other hand, jobs may also be created in the construction sector during reconstruction. Other examples include an increase in insurance rate which may occur, corruption which may come about because of the misuse of relief

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