The United States is often exposed to the catastrophic effects of various natural disasters. These are strong earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and terrible hurricanes, and much more from natural elements. There are also floods in the USA. And although they rarely happen, but troubles bring a lot, since they are most often disastrous.
Destructive Floods in the USA
The main causes of flooding are river spills in low-lying areas of the relief caused by a significant excess of rainfall, as well as powerful hurricanes raging on the country's coast. As a result of torrential thunderstorms, floods are also frequent in the mountainous regions of the United States, when narrow canyons are instantly filled with rainwater.
Mississippi Spills
In the history of the country, the Mississippi River overflowed its banks twice, causing catastrophic floods. The flood in the USA in 1927 was called the Great, and it fully deserved it both by its grandeur and by the monstrous destructive consequences that it led to.
The flood was started by prolonged rainfall in the fall of 1926. The numerous tributaries of the Mississippi were overflowing with water and were ready to leave the shores at any moment. In the spring, heavy rains resumed, and this was enough for the river to break through the system of protective dams on April 15, 1927 and rush into the vast expanses of the Mississippi Lowland. The area of 70,000 km 2 turned out to be flooded. Ten states of the country suffered from the disaster, especially Arkansas, in which 14% of the territory went under water. During the disaster, 246 people died, over 700 thousand inhabitants of the country lost their homes.
In 1993, flooding in the United States on the Mississippi repeated. Its cause was again rainy autumn and snowy winter of 1992. In spring, the river overflowed and flooded more than 80 thousand square kilometers. The disaster lasted more than seven months: until October 1993. Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed, 32 people were killed, damage caused by the elements amounted to tens of billions of dollars.
Revenge of the Hurricanes
Almost every year, the US coast along the Atlantic Ocean is hit by powerful hurricanes. The most severe of them also cause flooding in the USA, especially the territories of the states of Florida, Louisiana, Texas and North Carolina. The most terrible and destructive were hurricanes: Galvestnosky in 1900, Andrew in 1992, Katrina in 2005.
But perhaps the most powerful flood in the US in 2012 was caused by Hurricane Sandy. It was observed on most of the eastern coast of the country. The tropical cyclone formed over the Atlantic swept along the coast of Florida and the northeastern states of the country. The states of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut were hit hardest by the hurricane.
The consequences of Hurricane Sandy were terrible. Millions of people for a long time were left without electricity, a large number of buildings were destroyed, the operation of transport was paralyzed. He claimed the lives of more than a hundred people, including young children. People suffered not only from flooding, but also from the numerous fires that occurred in some cities. The state suffered billions of dollars of damage.