A flood is an unusual high-water stage in which water overflows its natural or artificial banks onto normally dry land.
Floods can have catastrophic consequences, wreaking uncontrollable havoc.
This often happens as a result of excessive rainfall over short periods of time, but can also be caused by ice jams during the spring rise, storm tides and tsunamis. Floods damage property and endanger the lives of humans and animals. They cause soil erosion and the deposition of sediment which can result in long-term environmental problems such as the destruction of natural habitats and spawning grounds. Floods cause problems with drainage and economic land use, as well as traffic delays and the impairing of navigation and hydroelectric power. Floods incur millions of dollars in financial losses each year.