Deadliest Floods in History – Part 2

Welcome back to the Disaster Response blog! In our last blog post, we covered some of the most deadly floods of all time including the Johnstown Flood, Central China flood, and others. To learn a little history, be sure to catch up on our last blog post. Otherwise, stick around to learn more about some of the greatest floods.

Thankfully, in Grand Rapids we have many safeguards against floods of such catastrophic proportions. However, if your home is affected by water damage of large or small margins, call Disaster Response! We offer unbeatable and compassionate water damage repair. Visit our website to learn more about the services our water damage restoration company offers!

Mississippi River – 1927

The Mississippi River is a natural feature that is awe-inspiring no matter when you look at it. However, in 1927 it showed its true power. In 1927, due to spring rains and an overwhelmed levee system, according to one article,16 million acres were flooded from Cairo, Illinois to New Orleans. Nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population at the time was without a home once the torrent calmed to a 75 mile wide sea and 250 lost their lives.

Britain – 1607

Since this disaster occured before the invention of photography, we have no photos to confirm the devastation left by a flood. However it is recorded that a wave from the sea overtook 200 square miles of southern England and Wales decimating everything in its path. Over 2,000 people lost their lives and left the landscape changed forever. Most speculate that the wave was due to an earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Banquiao Dam Failure – 1975

Typhoon Nina left great devastation in her wake including the destruction of 62 dams in Zhumadian City. When the Banquio Reservoir Dam finally broke, it flooded half of China, creating $500 million in damages and over 1 million dead. The dam was structured to withstand 300 mm of rainfall. However, due to the storm, received over double that.

St. Felix Flood – 1530

Evil Saturday occurred November 5, 1530 when a surge of water washed away nearly the entirety of the Netherlands killing over a million people and leaving entire towns submerged. Those towns are still submerged today that area has turned into a large salt marsh. Areas still under water are Flanders, Zeeland, and Reimerswaal cities.

Yangtze River Flood – 1954

If you read our previous blog post, you will have read about the Central China Flood of 1931 when the Yangtze and Huai rivers caused such massive devastation that they flooded an area as big as England. The might of the Yangtze river, one of the largest rivers of the world was seen yet again in 1954 when the area received more than their yearly rainfall. The river rose to 44.67 meters and caused several devastating floods and catastrophic damage to nearby cities.

These are just some of the deadliest floods to occur on our planet. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs to learn more and if you live in Grand Rapids and are in need of water damage repair. Call Disaster Response!