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Flood types

A flood is a hazard that can occur in many countries in Europe and in the rest of the world. You have probably seen many floods on the news happening somewhere in the world and maybe close to where you live.

Floods bring misery to those that live in the area. They can cause loss of life and often cause a great disruption of daily life: water can come into peoples houses, drinking water and electricity supplies may break down, roads can be blocked, people can not go to work or to school. Floods all over the world cause enormous damages every year like economic damages, damage to the natural environment and damage to national heritage sites.

A flood is a situation in which water temporarily covers land where it normally doesn’t. This water comes from the sea, lakes, rivers, canals or sewers. It can also be rainwater.

Floods can be described according to speed (flash flood), geography or cause of flooding. Several types of flooding will be described in these pages together with some aspects of hydrology. More on consequences and measures can be found in the flood risk management section.

If you haven’t done so yet, don’t forget to take the virtual tour about floods in Europe. Make your own tour for your country!