How does flooding affect humans and the environment?

Impact of flooding on humans

Flooding has a range of impacts on humans, including:

• people can be injured or killed by flooding
• floodwater is often contaminated with sewage, which can lead to illness and affect clean drinking water
• power supplies can be disrupted
• businesses can be forced to shut down
• services such as hospitals and schools can close
• transport networks can be affected, such as flood damage to bridges, railways and roads
• homes and properties can be flooded
• people may have to move out of their properties until flood damage is repaired
• possesions can be damaged and washed away

Impact of flooding on the environment

Flooding has a range of impacts on the environment, including:

• wildlife habitats can be destroyed by floodwater
• contaminated floodwater can pollute rivers and habitats
• silt and sediment can destroy crops on farms
• river banks and natural levées can be eliminated as rivers reach bankfull capacity
• rivers can be widened, and deposition can increase downstream
• trees can be uprooted by high-velocity water flow
• plants that survive the initial flood may die due to being inundated with water