Define The Natural Disaster And Attach An Online Article Of The Event

Flood
Author Name
Institution Affiliation
Define the natural disaster and attach an online article of the event
A flood can be defined as an overflow of water that submerges vast areas and causes destruction. Sometimes the inflow of tides is also regarded as a flood. Floods are of great concern in civil engineering, public health, and agriculture. Flooding occurs because of the overflow of water from certain water bodies like rivers, lakes, and oceans. In these water bodies, the water crosses a certain level and overflowing starts. In other words, we can say that when the water escapes its boundaries, then a flood may take place. It is also caused because of the accumulation of rainwater on saturated grounds. The sizes and depths of water bodies differ from one another, but when the snow melts or seasonal changes take place, then a considerable amount of water gets collected in them, followed by leaving its boundaries and causing floods.
For quite a long time, floods have been causing damages to homes, businesses and entire cities. Some of them develop slowly and other others like flash floods develop within minutes and show no prominent signs of rain. In addition, we should notice that the local floods can impact neighborhoods or local communities, and when they are extreme in nature, then the entire river basins are likely to be affected.
The Midwestern United States has had experienced major floods, mainly along its tributaries in Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska as well as the Missouri River. From the first week of January till March, the average temperature in the Midwest was 20 to 30 degree Fahrenheit, and snow fell in different areas. In Nebraska, from March 11 to March 13, the temperature rose up to 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and 1.5 inches of rain had fallen. This led the snow to melt, and the frozen ground could not absorb most of the water, causing unprecedented runoff in local rivers and streams. A large number of rivers were frozen over with thick layers of ice, which was broken up by the powerful flow of water. This created massive chunks of ice that were able to travel downstream and acted as roiling plows. Several people died in Nebraska and Iowa due to this flood.
Identify the location map of the natural disaster and include the map
This location map indicates that the 2019 Midwestern U.S. floods caused destructions in areas like Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska. In Iowa, destruction was caused due to flooding and heavy rains. Almost all people were directly or indirectly impacted, and the governor had to sign an emergency disaster proclamation March 14th. In this part of the United States, flooding was regarded as catastrophic, specifically in the Missouri River Valley. Governor Kim Reynolds then estimated the damages at $1.5 billion, which has been a state record until now. The president was then requested to declare a disaster in over 65 counties (Smith et al. 2019).
Similarly, the whole community of Craig and several parts of St. Joseph were evacuated. Governor Mike Parson issue a state of emergency, claiming that the flood could affect all farms and communities of Missouri in a few minutes or hours. Most of the roads and streets were closed, water treatment plants, residential areas, and commercial centers got destructed, and the entire infrastructure of Missouri got impacted. In order to deal with this natural disaster, local partners began working together. First of all, they assessed the situation, planned how to provide resources, and then helped Missourians as they were fighting with the flood.
The map also shows that Spencer Dam had collapsed on the Niobrara River. The situation got worst when the unregulated flooding destructed three bridges downstream, especially the Highway 281 bridge. Just like the residents of Platte, Elkhorn, and Missouri, people living in east-central Nebraska evacuated, and some of them had to experience all-time record flooding. The situation was uncertain, and the water overflowed the entire area. It is said that the water in the Platte River had reached an alarming level and this became the reason for the flood. Some of its sites were broken, and the level of water rose up to five feet. On March 18, 2019, governor Pete Ricketts had declared a state o...