- Flooding is the most frequent type of natural disaster in the United States – although flooding isn’t always a natural disaster.
- Floods can happen any time of the year, not just during rainy season.
Floods can happen even during times of extreme drought.
- Areas that have recently experienced a fire are more prone to flooding when it rains.
- Just two feet of rushing water can move a vehicle – including SUVs and trucks!
- Most standard homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage.
- There are five types of flood events:
- Aerial flooding – caused by heavy rainfall or snowmelt.
- Catastrophic flooding – caused by structural failure of a levee or dam.
- Coastal flooding – caused by rising sea levels from a storm surge, typically (but not always) caused by a hurricane.
- Riverine flooding – caused by water overflowing from rivers, streams, lakes, or ponds.
- Urban flooding – caused by an overwhelmed drainage system or storm sewer system.
