Over the past few years, many major natural disasters have occurred in the Russian Federation due to a large-scale river spill. In addition to significant material damage, the elements claimed even human lives. Regular news bulletins on the air of the central television channels were full of words and terms, understandable only to weather forecasters. What is flood and how can it be dangerous? The answer to this question is far from every resident of our country.
Definition of flood and its main causes
So what is flood? The definition of this term is quite simple, it is the highest river level at a certain time of the year, and repeating from season to season, that is, having a certain regularity that can be predicted in advance taking into account slight fluctuations. The term "high water" has an antonym - "low water", which occurs on a river in a dry period, and is also quite dangerous for the environment.
In fact, it is not enough to know what flood is, you also need to understand its causes. Scientists in this matter decided to distinguish two main areas:
- High water in connection with melting snow. Typically for rivers in mountainous regions, as a rule, runs from late February to mid-July.
- High water due to certain climatic conditions (rainwater supply of the river). A situation of this nature is most vividly illustrated by floods in the Far East.
In some cases, these two reasons may be interrelated. Rivers whose water level depends on melting snow can be predicted in the winter. So, experts take into account such characteristics as the height of the snow cover, the degree of freezing of the soil and much more.
Experienced people know what the flood of the river is. Under certain unpleasant conditions, it can lead to flooding, a significant flooding of the surroundings near the reservoir. Most often, similar situations in Russia occur in the Primorsky and Krasnodar Territories, on the Yenisei, Oka and Lena rivers.
It is necessary not only to understand what flood is, it is very important to know how to act during its onset. If your home is in a potential hazard zone, essentials must be packed and always at hand. These include documents, a mobile phone, money, a minimum of warm clothes and food, necessary medications. It is necessary to foresee and remember the evacuation plan in advance, take care of the availability of the raft or materials for its emergency creation. During severe floods or floods, it is forbidden to swim water at a level of more than 1 meter above the ground. In the event of a distress beep, it is necessary to act calmly, but without delay, any delay can pose a potential danger to the life and health of all those living in the risk zone.
What to do during a high flood?
Leaving the house, if possible, it is necessary to perform a number of actions to ensure the safety of their property:
- turn off the electricity;
- shut off the gas;
- if possible, fix all large items;
- valuables that it is not possible to take with you, to put on the upper shelves, attics, in blind closed cabinets, previously tightly packed;
- close windows and doors with boards, bars.
During emergency evacuation during a flood, follow the basic rule - listen to the crew of the rescue crew.
What to do after water drains?
Knowing and understanding what flood is, what its scale can be, be careful after the water has drained. So, returning to buildings, especially private houses, you should make sure of their integrity and the absence of the possibility of collapse. Do not turn on the light in the house, do not use gas until you are convinced of the integrity of the main communications. Before entering the premises, it is necessary to carefully clean and dry, throw out the spoiled things, just like all the products that were inside the flooded apartment.
