Essay Sample about Flood Problem

“On a global scale, floods are among the most common and damaging natural hazards” (Molinari par.1). Natural disasters happen everywhere around the world and affect everyone. They can include wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. These are all very dangerous but floods can have the most effect on the environment. Floods can be detrimental to the environment because they can destroy crops, promote diseases, and cause damage to property and persons. 

The first reason floods are dangerous for the environment is crop damage. Flooding can destroy whole fields worth of crops if rain is standing in the field. This can be caused by the ground being so saturated with water that it can not take any more in. The standing water will cause the crops to drown. Some crops are more resilient to standing water because of their seed variety. Scientists have made different seed varieties to better withstand droughts and floods. While this helps, enough water will kill any crop. Floods can wash away fertility causing the field to be incapable of producing to its former potential. Once the top layer of soil is washed away, most of the nutrients are gone. Erosion can also be an effect. Erosion is when water causes chunks of land to wash away.  This will make some parts of the fields untillable. The soil must be repaired by adding more soil, crop rotation, and leveling. In short, flooding causes millions of bushels of crops to be ruined.

Additionally, flooding can cause an increase in diseases. Flooding will cause water supplies to be contaminated.  For example, when major floods happen, contaminated water will get in potable water supplies. Contaminated water can carry viral diseases. If anyone drinks this water or eats any food that comes in contact with it, they are liable to get sick. The most common disease is dysentery. Dysentery is an intestinal infection that causes blood in the feces. Another disease is called typhoid. Typhoid can be transmitted when one drinks contaminated water and if the contaminated water comes in contact with food.  It can be transferred from person to person by not washing your hands frequently. The contaminated water can also carry parasites. A parasite is when an organism lives in another organism. The most common parasite spread through water is called Giardia Intestinals. This parasite can infect humans or animals and is easily spread. Unclean water also makes it hard for people to clean themselves. When people want to bathe they must make sure they are using clean water. If the water is not clean, then if any of these organisms get in their system they will be sickened by these parasites or diseases.  Therefore, contaminated water kills millions of people a year and is a serious problem.

The final effects of flooding are property damage and personal harm. Property damage and personal harm are the most reported effects that flooding causes. It can destroy homes and even entire cities. This costs millions of dollars in damages per year in the U.S. alone. The damages can include structural, electrical, and septic. In high risk flooding areas, people often raise their houses on pilings to minimize their flood hazards. If houses are not raised the floodwaters can move a house off of its foundation. Sandbags are often used to divert water away from property. An aftereffect of a house being flooded is mold growing in the walls. If mold starts to grow in the walls, it can cause respiratory health problems. If the mold is not stopped in a timely fashion, the whole house could be condemned.  Some people have insurance for flooding but some insurance companies will not cover flood prone areas. If gutters and drains are not cleared it becomes very easy for water damage to occur. For instance, if the drains are clogged the water has nowhere to go. This causes the water levels to rise and as the water runs onto the boards, rot occurs. One small problem can turn into a big one. When a flood is probable, people are advised to leave but when they don’t, first responders are often placed in harm’s way. This does not only endanger the people, but also the first responders. In severe situations,  people must be rescued by boats or helicopters. In summary, floodwaters are dangerous to people and property, causing weathermen to coin such phrases as “turn around, don’t drown”.

To sum things up, flooding is a major problem because of crop damages, the diseases it can cause, and property damages. Flooding is the most reoccurring natural disaster on earth. Crop damages hurt farmers’ profits and their potential yields are diminished for years to come. The diseases that contaminated water causes can be detrimental to a person’s health. Property damages can destroy a person’s house and take their life. All over the world, flooding continues to be an increasing problem each year. Consequently, floods are dangerous and are not to be taken lightly.