Floods are considered one of the worst natural disasters. Their consequences are significant destruction, human casualties. The most catastrophic of the largest floods in the world is considered to be the flood that occurred in China during the flood of the Yellow River and Yangtze in August 1931. These rivers are famous for frequent floods that lead to tragedies.
The Yangtze is the longest river after the Nile and the Amazon (6380 km). In the lowest part of the river, the channel is higher than the surrounding area, which often leads to flooding during its flood. The Yellow River, or Yellow River, is another no less "capricious" river in China. This river overflows its banks so often that it has been nicknamed "China's Sorrow".
In summer, from the Pacific Ocean, southeast winds bring humid air that accumulates over China. This results in abundant summer rains.
In 1931, the monsoon season was too stormy. The river basins were attacked by heavy rains. As a result, the dams could not withstand the load and collapsed in many places.
In total, about 40 million people were affected by the flood, 333,000 hectares of land were under water, and huge damage was caused to crops. Lack of food, illness, lack of housing resulted in the death of 3.7 million people. In some places, the water did not descend for up to 6 months.
The city of Gaoyou suffered a huge catastrophic impact from the flood. On August 26, 1931, a strong typhoon hit the lake located in its vicinity. The water level after the previous downpours was too high. The dams could not cope with the load and collapsed in six places. Huge streams of water swept through the city and villages, causing the death of 10 thousand people. In December 2003, a memorial museum was opened in honor of those who died in Gaoyu.
The elements have declared their power from the very beginning of time. Raging, terrible and uncontrollable forces destroyed not only the creations of human hands, but also the people themselves.
And the element of water is one example of such power. For many centuries, mankind has suffered from sweats and floods, which often claimed not only shelter, but also lives. And the courage that a person who has undergone such a terrible disaster is capable of proves once again how strong we can be both morally and physically.
And examples proving this can serve as a dozen of the most famous floods in the world. Happy reading!
In the first half of the last century, one of the most devastating floods in the world occurred in the Middle Kingdom. It was put in second place after the Flood, and according to historical documents, this is the largest natural disaster on the planet. After a drought that lasted two years and a snowy winter, very rainy spring months came and the great Chinese rivers (Yangtze, Huaihe, Yellow River) began to fill up. In July - August, the amount of water in the largest Chinese rivers reached its peak, and the water overflowed its banks. By 08/19/1931, the water exceeded the ordinary by 16 meters, and already on the evening of August 25, the dams, which had resisted the water element for several weeks, could not stand it and collapsed immediately in different places. They were immediately flooded, hundreds of thousands of hectares of land and millions of people were left homeless, about 200,000 inhabitants died in one night. The crop suffered serious damage, because the water held up to six months in some places. Considering the epidemics of typhus and cholera that followed this tragedy, about four million people died from this flood. China very often suffered from terrible water disasters - in 1911, 1935, 1954, 1998. and all these floods took with them a huge number of victims.
It happened in November 1824. One of the worst in the history of St. Petersburg. The day before, an icy piercing wind blew from the bay, later it began to rain, although you can’t scare the Petersburgers with such weather. By evening, the water level in the canals rose sharply, and then the whole city was flooded. The water in the Neva was over four meters. The result of this natural disaster was the death of about six hundred people, many people went missing - their bodies of water were carried into the Gulf of Finland, 462 houses were destroyed, about four thousand buildings were damaged. The total damage was inflicted at that time colossal - about twenty million dollars. There were a lot of such floods in St. Petersburg, more than three hundred. There are inscriptions on the knowledge, where the water level in 1824 is marked.
"Yellow River", namely the name given by the British to this large Chinese river. In 1887, heavy rains fell in the province of Henan, at the end of September, due to the huge amount of water, the river broke through the dams. Very quickly, the water reached Zhengzhou and spilled over the entire northern part of China. The territory of 130 thousand sq. km was covered with water. Due to the natural disaster, a lot of the population died - more than a million, and about 2 million were left homeless, and about 500 thousand more died from the cholera epidemic. About six hundred cities that were built on the banks of this river suffered. “The Sorrow of China” is how the Europeans dubbed this river, because it killed many more people than any other river on the planet.
This day was called "Evil Saturday". It was on the November Sabbath day - the feast of St. Felix that this tragedy happened. Water flooded a huge part of the area of Flanders and Zeeland. According to researchers, more than a hundred thousand people became victims of the elements.
In the US, it is considered the most destructive flood. Ten states suffered from this natural disaster: Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and others. Due to the rains that came in the summer of 1926, the tributaries of the rivers were overflowing. In January, the level of one of the rivers was equal to the top of the dam (17 meters). In April 1927, precipitation was 15 cm above the norm. Streams of water demolished the dam, seventy thousand were flooded square meters. The depth of flooding in some places was about ten meters. Only towards the end of summer the water began to leave. This natural disaster got its own name - "The Great (Great) Flood". Many people died and many more were left homeless.
Due to a sharp storm surge of water, which was formed from a hurricane wind, this disaster occurred in Germany and Denmark on 10/12/1634. On the night of October 11-12, several structures on the North Sea coast failed, and the water filled the cities of North Frisia, located on the shores. The catastrophe took away from life about fifteen thousand inhabitants.
Not less than fifty thousand people suffered from a major flood, it happened on December 14, 1287. After this cataclysm, huge destruction remained - a lot of settlements disappeared. After all, only in East Frisia more than thirty villages disappeared under water. A terrible event occurred on the day of St. Lucy, and this flood was called. And this event from the Zuiderzee created the bay of the North Sea.
This water disaster is considered the worst in terms of the number of victims that hit America in the nineteenth century. The city of Jonestown is located among high hills and mountains. The rivers regularly caused inconvenience to the city, but a disaster of this magnitude first struck on May 31, 1889. For three days, it rained nonstop. The water in the Little Counfman river rose very quickly and there was a threat of flooding the lower parts of the city. Even upstream there was an old, almost forgotten dam, and it could not stand it - a huge breach was formed ... And in a few moments all the water from the reservoir rushed down, forming a huge wave. This terrible water force almost in a few moments washed away the whole city from the face of the Earth. More than 2,000 people died in this terrible disaster.
One of the worst floods in modern Dutch history. The cause of this disaster was the coincidence of a storm and a spring tide. And although the inhabitants of the Netherlands for many years defended their country from the terrible effects of floods, they were calm, because they were confident that the structures built would reliably protect them from any storm. But at the end of January, the wind speed exceeded 150 km / h, and with such a breakneck speed, billions of cubic meters of water were rushing to land. Raging water demolished 133 settlements on its way. In the blink of an eye, the water rose to the roofs of the city's tallest buildings. The damage caused by the elements was estimated at millions of guilders. More than 170 thousand hectares of land were flooded with water. They were able to evacuate over 70,000 people, many were missing and about two thousand died.
1913, in the western part of the States there were several severe floods that Americans remember today.
The reason for the most powerful of them was the huge amount of precipitation that fell in Ohio and Kentucky. The norm was exceeded three times! Also, a significant reason was the rains, which had been going on for several weeks by that time.
The previously prosperous city of Dayton suffered from the raging elements more than others. Its dams could not prevent the flow of water, and the city was flooded to a height of six meters. Because of them, the "gas" lines were also put out of action, which caused numerous fires. In Dayton, real anarchy reigned for a while.
Official figures tell us about 430 dead, however, their real number is closer to a thousand. More than 300,000 people lost their roof over their heads.
In total, about thirty thousand buildings were destroyed, and several hundred bridges. And the material damage at that time was completely unbelievable - almost a hundred million dollars.
The summer of 2017 was unusually rainy. Fortunately, this year's heavy rainfall is nowhere near the devastating floods that hit Germany and China centuries ago.
1. Petersburg flood, 1824, about 200-600 dead. On November 19, 1824, a flood occurred in St. Petersburg, which killed hundreds of human lives and destroyed many houses. Then the water level in the Neva River and its canals rose by 4.14 - 4.21 meters above the usual level (ordinary).
Petersburg flood of 1824. The author of the picture: Fedor Yakovlevich Alekseev (1753-1824).
Before the flood began, it was raining in the city and a damp and cold wind was blowing. And in the evening there was a sharp rise in the water level in the channels, after which almost the entire city was flooded. The flood did not affect only the Foundry, Rozhdestvenskaya and Karetnaya parts of St. Petersburg. As a result, the material damage from the flood amounted to about 15-20 million rubles, and about 200-600 people died. One way or another, this is not the only flood that occurred in St. Petersburg. In total, the city on the Neva was flooded more than 330 times. Commemorative plaques have been erected in memory of many floods in the city (there are more than 20 of them). In particular, a sign is dedicated to the largest flood in the city, which is located at the intersection of the Kadetskaya line and Bolshoy Prospekt of Vasilyevsky Island.
Commemorative plaque on the Raskolnikov House. Interestingly, before the founding of St. Petersburg, the largest flood in the Neva delta occurred in 1691, when this territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Sweden. This incident is mentioned in the Swedish chronicles. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 centimeters.
2.
Flood in China, 1931, about 145 thousand - 4 million dead. From 1928 to 1930, China suffered from a severe drought. But at the end of the winter of 1930, severe snowstorms began, and in the spring - incessant heavy rains and thaw, due to which the water level in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers rose significantly. For example, in the Yangtze River in July alone, the water rose by 70 cm.
As a result, the river overflowed its banks and soon reached the city of Nanjing, which at that time was the capital of China. Many people drowned and died from water-borne infectious diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Cases of cannibalism and infanticide among desperate residents are known.
Flood victims, August 1931.
According to Chinese sources, about 145,000 people died as a result of the flood, at the same time, Western sources claim that the death toll was from 3.7 million to 4 million. By the way, this was not the only flood in China caused by the overflowing waters of the Yangtze River. Floods also occurred in 1911 (about 100 thousand people died), in 1935 (about 142 thousand people died), in 1954 (about 30 thousand people died) and in 1998 (3,656 people died).
3. Flooding on the Yellow River, 1887 and 1938, about 900 thousand and 500 thousand dead, respectively. In 1887, heavy rains fell for many days in Henan province, and on September 28, rising water in the Yellow River broke through the dams. Soon the water reached the city of Zhengzhou located in this province, and then spread throughout the northern part of China, which occupies approximately 130,000 km².
The floods left about two million people in China homeless and about 900,000 people died. And in 1938, a flood on the same river was provoked by the Nationalist government in Central China at the start of the Sino-Japanese War. This was done in order to stop the Japanese troops advancing rapidly into the central part of China. The flood has subsequently been called "the largest act of environmental warfare in history". Thus, in June 1938, the Japanese took control of the entire northern part of China, and on June 6 they captured Kaifeng, the capital of Henan province, and threatened to capture Zhengzhou, which was located near the intersection of important railways Beijing-Guangzhou and Lianyungang-Xi'an. If the Japanese army succeeded in doing this, such large Chinese cities as Wuhan and Xi'an would be under threat. In order to prevent this, the Chinese government in Central China decided to open dams on the Yellow River near the city of Zhengzhou. Water flooded the provinces of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu adjacent to the river.
Soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army during a flood on the Yellow River in 1938. The floods destroyed thousands of square kilometers of agricultural land and many villages. Several million people became refugees. According to China's initial figures, about 800,000 people drowned. However, nowadays researchers studying the archives of the disaster claim that much fewer people died - about 400 - 500 thousand.
Refugees who appeared after the 1983 flood.
Interestingly, the value of this Chinese government strategy has been questioned. Since, according to some reports, the Japanese troops at that time were far from the flooded areas. Although their attack on Zhengzhou was thwarted, the Japanese took Wuhan in October.
4. The flood of St. Felix, 1530, at least 100 thousand dead. On Saturday November 5, 1530, Saint Felix de Valois washed away most of Flanders, historical area the Netherlands, and the province of Zeeland. Researchers believe that more than 100 thousand people died. Subsequently, the day when the disaster occurred was called Evil Saturday.
5. The flood of Burchardi, 1634, about 8-15 thousand dead. On the night of October 11/12, 1634, Germany and Denmark were flooded as a result of a storm surge caused by hurricane winds. That night, dykes broke in several places along the coast of the North Sea, flooding the coastal cities and communities of North Frisia.
Painting depicting the Burchardi flood.
According to various estimates, from 8 to 15 thousand people died during the flood.
Maps of North Frisia in 1651 (left) and 1240 (right). Author of both maps: Johannes Mejer.
6. The flood of St. Mary Magdalene, 1342, several thousand. In July 1342, on the feast day of the myrrh-bearing Mary Magdalene (the Catholic and Lutheran churches celebrate it on July 22), the largest recorded flood in Central Europe occurred. On this day, the waters of the rivers Rhine, Mosel, Main, Danube, Weser, Werra, Unstrut, Elbe, Vltava and their tributaries flooded the surrounding lands. Many cities such as Cologne, Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Würzburg, Regensburg, Passau and Vienna were severely damaged.
According to the researchers of this disaster, after a long hot and dry period, heavy rains followed for several days in a row. As a result, about half of the average annual precipitation fell. And since the extremely dry soil could not quickly absorb such an amount of water, surface runoff flooded large areas territories. Many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people died. And although the total number of deaths is unknown, it is believed that about 6 thousand people drowned in the Danube region alone. In addition, the next summer was wet and cold, so the population was left without a harvest and suffered greatly from hunger. And to everything else, the plague pandemic that took place in Asia, Europe, North Africa and the island of Greenland (Black Death) in the middle of the XIV century, reached its peak in 1348-1350, taking the lives of at least a third of the population of Central Europe.
Illustration of the Black Death, 1411.
Details in the story: "Flood in the Czech Republic" >>
1. The flood that hit the countries of the North Sea in February 1953 led to the flooding of the coasts of Denmark, Norway, Germany, Belgium and Great Britain. The main blow was dealt by the elements to the Netherlands: due to heavy wind and storm waves, the dams holding back the pressure could not withstand sea waters- gushing water instantly demolished more than 130 settlements. During the rampage of the water element, Dutch rescuers evacuated about 72,000 people, 3,000 houses were completely destroyed. 2400 people are considered to be victims of the flood.
2. In 1959, a major flood occurred in France. After prolonged rains, the Malpasse dam could not stand it, a stream of destructive water rushed down the Reyran River, “covering” the city of Frejus and nearby settlements. As a result, the "big water" claimed the lives of more than 400 people, and the flood itself became a real national tragedy for France.
3. One of the largest floods in Germany happened in February 1962. Then the storm waves of the North Sea flooded most of the country's coastline. In the first hours of the flood, the water level in the Elbe River rose sharply, which flooded the German city of Hamburg standing in the river delta. Significant damage was also done to the city of Bremen, and the island of Krautzand was isolated from the outside world for several days. In total, about 300 people died, more than 500 thousand people were left homeless.
4. In 1966, the waters of the Italian rivers Po, Arno and Adige, after prolonged rains, rose significantly and hit the settlements of central Italy, demolishing fortified dams. As a result, more than 100 people died, damage agriculture countries was estimated at several million lire (Italian currency before the introduction of a single European currency). Water caused especially large damage to the city of Florence and its inhabitants. In particular, the National Central Library of Florence (one of the largest libraries in Italy) was seriously damaged - more than 3 million copies of rare books and 14 thousand other works of art were damaged.
5. In the fall of 2000, a cyclone came to Europe, which provoked prolonged heavy rains. As a result, severe floods began in Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, France, Norway, eastern Spain and northern Italy. In some Italian provinces, a state of emergency was introduced, about 43 thousand people were evacuated. Major Italian cities such as Turin and Milan were flooded. 30 people drowned, the total damage to Italy amounted to 800 million dollars. AT mountainous areas Switzerland rains have caused major landslides and landslides. In total, the material damage from the natural disaster in France, Switzerland and Spain amounted to more than $10 million.
Late summer 2013 a powerful flood hit the Far East, which led to the largest flood in the last 115 years. Flooding swept five subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District, total area flooded territories amounted to more than 8 million square kilometers. In total, since the beginning of the flood, 37 municipal districts, 235 settlements and more than 13 thousand residential buildings. Over 100 thousand people were affected. More than 23 thousand people were evacuated. The most affected were the Amur Region, which was the first to receive the blow of the elements, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Khabarovsk Territory.
On the night of July 7, 2012 the flood flooded thousands of residential buildings in the cities of Gelendzhik, Krymsk and Novorossiysk, as well as in a number of villages in the Krasnodar Territory. Energy, gas and water supply systems, road and rail traffic were disrupted. According to the prosecutor's office, 168 people died, two more were missing. Most of the dead - in Krymsk, which fell on the heaviest blow of the elements. In this city, 153 people died, more than 60 thousand people were recognized as victims. 1.69 thousand houses are recognized as completely destroyed in the Crimean region. About 6.1 thousand houses were damaged. The damage from the flood amounted to about 20 billion rubles.
April 2004 in the Kemerovo region there was a flood due to a rise in the level of the local rivers Kondoma, Tom and their tributaries. More than six thousand houses were destroyed, 10 thousand people were injured, nine died. In the city of Tashtagol, located in the flood zone, and the villages closest to it flood waters 37 pedestrian bridges were destroyed, 80 kilometers of regional and 20 kilometers of municipal roads were damaged. The element also disrupted telephone communications.
The damage, according to experts, amounted to 700-750 million rubles.
In August 2002 in the Krasnodar Territory, a fleeting tornado and heavy rains passed. In Novorossiysk, Anapa, Krymsk and 15 other settlements of the region, over 7 thousand residential buildings and administrative buildings. The storm also damaged 83 housing and public utilities facilities, 20 bridges, 87.5 kilometers of roads, 45 water intakes and 19 transformer substations. 424 residential buildings were completely destroyed. 59 people died. The Ministry of Emergency Situations evacuated 2.37 thousand people from dangerous areas.
In June 2002 Catastrophic flooding as a result of past heavy rains affected 9 subjects of the Southern Federal District. 377 settlements were in the flood zone. The elements destroyed 13.34 thousand houses, damaged almost 40 thousand residential buildings and 445 educational institutions. The elements claimed the lives of 114 people, another 335 thousand people were injured. Specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, other ministries and departments saved a total of 62 thousand people, more than 106 thousand residents of the Southern Federal District were evacuated from dangerous areas. The damage amounted to 16 billion rubles.
July 7, 2001 in the Irkutsk region, due to heavy rains, a number of rivers overflowed their banks and flooded seven cities and 13 districts (a total of 63 settlements). Sayansk was especially affected. According to official figures, eight people died, 300 thousand people were injured, 4.64 thousand houses were flooded.
May 2001 The water level in the Lena River exceeded the maximum flood and reached a mark of 20 meters. Already in the first days after the catastrophic flood, 98% of the territory of the city of Lensk was flooded. The flood practically washed Lensk off the face of the earth. More than 3.3 thousand houses were destroyed, 30.8 thousand people were injured. In total, 59 settlements were affected in Yakutia as a result of the flood, 5.2 thousand residential buildings were flooded. The total amount of damage amounted to 7.08 billion rubles, including 6.2 billion rubles in the city of Lensk.
16 and 17 May 1998 in the area of the city of Lensk, Yakutia, there was a severe flood. It was caused by an ice jam along the lower reaches of the Lena River, as a result of which the water level rose to 17 meters, while the critical level of flooding in the city of Lensk was 13.5 meters. More than 172 settlements with a population of 475 thousand people were in the flood zone. More than 50 thousand people were evacuated from the flood zone. The flood killed 15 people. The damage from the flood amounted to 872.5 million rubles.
