Conclusions

As you know, rivers eventually overflow their banks and flood. Flooding is a natural process. It also can be a very costly natural disaster causing loss of life and millions or even billions of dollars in property damage. Being able to predict the frequency (Recurrence Interval) and likelihood (probability) of flooding as well as the magnitude of floods (maximum peak discharge) can be used by land use planners to help reduce the potential hazards. Flood forecast maps can be prepared to help people decide where to live in relation to rivers. Flood warning systems can be developed and used to reduce the loss of life.

In 1993, heavy springtime precipitation resulted in weeks of major flooding throughout the upper Mississippi River system and caused about $20 Billion in damage. The picture below shows the area near the intersection of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

For more information about flooding you can visit a number of web sites, such as FEMA, or the United States Geological Survey's Natural Disaster's site.

If you would like to obtain a "Certificate of Completion" for this flooding activity, click the "Next" button below.