Objectives
This section will help you to:
Flooding in the city of Pittsburgh in September 2004 caused by a tropical
storm of a former hurricane. (Photo: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)- define flood in terms of inputs and outputs;
- read a hydrograph;
- understand how stream function (erosion, transportation, and deposition) relate to floodplain formation;
- describe the factors that affect flood risk (and relate these to an understanding of stream function);
- identify differences between flash (upstream) floods and downstream floods (especially flooding in the Mississippi River and Indiana);
- relate how land use change and stream modification can increase or decrease flood risk;
- relate the definition of a “natural hazard” to flooding;
- relate the six factors that cause flood damage to real world examples;
- explain how to reduce your personal risk to flooding; and
- explain what caused the flooding during Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans 2005) in terms of the factors that affect flood risk.
If you would like a guide to help you to achieve these learning objectives for this module, please click here for an “Objective Guide.”