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Extreme FloodingThe IPCC sees changing climate and extreme flooding as “the most widespread direct risk to human settlements..., driven by projected increases in rainfall intensity and, in coastal areas, sea-level rise. Riverine and coastal settlements are particularly at risk, but urban flooding could be a problem anywhere that storm drains, water supply, and waste management systems have inadequate capacity. Flood magnitude and frequency could increase in many regions as a consequence of increased frequency of heavy precipitation events, which can increase runoff in most areas as well as groundwater recharge in some floodplains." In South Asia extreme flooding caused by Septmeber 2008 monsoon rains, burst dams which overflowed embankments killing about 1,500 people, mostly in India but also in Nepal. In India's Orissa state, tens of thousands were stranded on embankments and highways after large areas were flooded when authorities opened sluice gates of a dam on the Mahanadi river after heavy rains last week. Food riots also broke out in many areas after villagers complained they were not getting relief supplies. Hungry victims beat up officials, blocked roads and looted relief materials.
During late September 2008, heavy monsoon rains have killed 14 people in Thailand, inundated 550,000 acres (222,600 hectares) of farmland. Most of the flooded farmland was rice paddy, accounting for about 2 percent of the total paddy for the 2008/09 growing season. As a result of the extreme flooding, water borne diseases were spreading rapidly in Thailand's northern, northeastern and central regions, where some villages were battling 2 metre high water levels. The Interior Ministry said the flooding had affected some 800,000 people in 30 of 76 provinces in the country of 63 million people. In China, torrential rain fell across parts of the Anhui and Jiangsu provinces from July 31-August 1, prompting extreme flooding which forced more than 76,000 people to evacuate the area. According to reports, the city of Chuzhou was under half a meter (20 inches) of water. Two fatalities were reported in the Anhui province and it was reported that the economic losses were 220 million U.S. dollars. The floods also destroyed more than 24,000 houses. Heavy monsoonal rain fell across northwestern Pakistan during the first week of August 2008. The floods affected 82,000 people, destroyed more than 3,200 homes, and were responsible for 27 fatalities. In Togo, heavy rainfall produced deadly floods during the first week of August 2008. Nine fatalities were associated with the floods, which also affected nearly 5,000 people. Intense monsoonal rains pounded southern India from August 7-9 2008. The heavy downpours claimed the lives of 59 people and another 40 were feared dead when the truck they were riding on was swept away by a flooded river. Intense monsoonal downpours also pummeled northern India, claiming the lives of 74 people, leaving 50,000 people homeless, and triggered the collapse of buildings. Varanasi, one of the hardest hit, received a total of 292.1 mm (11.5 inches) of rain in 24 hours. Meanwhile, in the State of Assam, floodwaters submerged about 100 villages, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate the area. In neighboring Nepal, the heavy rainfall caused the Kosi river to spill over its bank, flooding villages and leaving several people missing. In Laos, heavy rainfall triggered fatal floods and landslides that claimed the lives of 4 people. In Vientiane, the copious rains caused the Mekong river to reach 13.68 m (44.88 ft) on August 14 2008, surpassing the previous record high of 12.38 m (40.61 ft) set in 1966. According to reports, this was the worst flooding in living memory. Persistent heavy rains pounded southern and central Mexico during June 4-13 2008, causing widespread extreme flooding across the area. Oaxaca, Mexico's southern state, was the worst hit with five fatalities and more than 7,000 people affected by the floods. The heavy rains also affected the oil-producing state of Veracruz.
In the U.S., heavy rain fell across parts of the Midwest during the first two weeks of June, causing the worst floods in 15 years and numerous new record river crest levels that led to widespread flooding in the area. The worst hit state was Iowa, where 83 of its 99 counties were declared disaster areas. According to reports, the heavy rainfall caused nine rivers across Iowa to be at or above the previous record flood levels. The floods affected 36,000 people and submerged millions of acres of land. It has been reported that Iowa's losses are estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
Also, the heavy rainfall that fell during March 17-19 prompted the overflow of rivers across the south-central states, causing historical floods. Arkansas was impacted the greatest with several of its rivers reaching their highest level in nearly 90 years. The extreme floods washed out roads, damaged homes, and were associated with 17 fatalities across the affected states. The governor of Arkansas declared disaster areas in 39 Arkansas counties and President Bush issued a disaster declaration for 35 counties. In March, 15 new all-time record precipitation records were established across several of the affected states. Heavy rainfall on June 19 prompted extreme flooding and mudslides across parts of South Africa. The worst hit was the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, where four people died. According to reports, Scottburg, KwaZulu-Natal received a total of 128 mm (5 inches) of rain in just 24-hours, the highest rainfall amount for that day. In Kenya, flash floods triggered by heavy rain during June 13-16 2008 affected nearly 8,700 people. The floods destroyed a total of 1,538 hectares (3,800 acres) of farmland.
Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain affected the eastern parts of the Philippines during February 14-27. More than 294,000 people were affected and many houses were submerged. There were 45 fatalities with 31 others injured. According to reports, economic losses for the central and southern Philippines were estimated to be $22 million in infrastructure and agricultural damages.
Heavy rain that fell during February 20-26 2008 caused widespread floods across Kazakhstan, resulting in one death. About 12,700 people evacuated their homes and a total of 2,000 homes were destroyed The first week of June in 2007 saw Australia's New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma declare a natural disaster across a large area NSW after a day of severe weather. Energy Australia says 200,000 customers from the Hunter Valley to Sydney were without power. At least nine people have died and a coal tanker ran aground on the NSW coast.
Extreme flooding and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains affected parts of Bangladesh in June 2007 causing at least 135 fatalities and many others missing. On June 11, the port city of Chittagong, reportedly the worst hit, received 275mm (11 inches) of rain.
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