floods of the 20th century. The worst floods in human history

On September 23, 1924, one of the largest floods in the history of the city occurred in Leningrad. Then the water in the river rose by almost 4 meters. Diletan. media recalled other cases of large-scale floods in the history of Russia.

1824

Even before the founding of St. Petersburg in 1691, the largest flood occurred in the Neva Delta. Then this territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Sweden. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 cm. Since 1703, when the city was founded, more than 300 floods were recorded (water rise over 160 cm), 210 of them with a rise of more than 210 cm. The largest occurred in November 1824. Then the water level in the Neva and its canals rose more than 4 meters above the usual level (ordinary). According to various sources, from 200 to 600 people died. Material damage amounted to about 15-20 million rubles.

Petersburg flood of 1824, F. Ya. Alekseev

1908

One of the largest floods in Moscow occurred in April 1908. The water in the Moscow River rose by 8.9 m. The elements overcame the city until the middle of the 20th century, when the Istra, Mozhayskoye, Ruzskoye and Ozerninskoye reservoirs were built, on which the river flow was regulated. After their appearance, major floods on the Moscow River ceased.

Flood of 1908. Sofia embankment

One of the largest floods in Moscow occurred in April 1908

1972

In the summer of 1971, due to intense rains in Buryatia, a catastrophic flood occurred on the Selenga River. The water level reached almost 8 m above the ordinary. 6 districts with 57 settlements and a population of 56 thousand people were flooded. More than 3 thousand houses were destroyed, crops were flooded on an area of ​​73.8 thousand hectares. The damage caused amounted to $47 million.

1987

In 1987, the Chita region had to endure two floods - at the end of June and in July. The floods on the rivers of the Chita region, which arose due to heavy rains, were unusual both in the nature of the rise and intensity, and in duration and simultaneous coverage of almost all areas of the region. In general, 16 districts were flooded, including Chernyshevsk station, Bukachacha settlement and 50 villages. The flood damaged 1.5 thousand houses, 59 bridges, 149 km of roads. The damage from floods amounted to 105 million rubles.

Floods in Moscow stopped after the construction of reservoirs

1990
In July 1990, Typhoon Robin came to Primorsky Krai. More than two months of rain fell in a few days. On the rivers of the region, suddenly overflowing with rainwater, there was a catastrophic flood. Vladivostok, Bolshoy Kamen and the Khasansky and Nadezhdinsky districts were seriously affected by it. More than 800 thousand people ended up in the disaster zone. The flood destroyed 730 houses, 11 schools, 5 kindergartens and a nursery, 56 shops. On the roads, 26 bridges were flooded and partially destroyed. The damage amounted to 280 million rubles.

1991

A catastrophic rain flood occurred on August 1 in the Western Caucasus, when the height of the flood wave reached 5-9 m. In Sochi, 254 houses were flooded, 3 polyclinics were destroyed, dozens of enterprises and a road bridge were flooded. More than 6,000 tons of oil products spilled at an oil refinery in Tuapse. 30 people died from the storm. Only the city of Tuapse was damaged in the amount of $144 million, and the entire Krasnodar Territory - about $300 million.

1993

In June 1993, there was a breakthrough of a deaf earthen dam of the Kiselevskoye reservoir near the town of Serov, Sverdlovsk region. The flood affected 6.5 thousand people, 15 people died. The total material damage amounted to 63 billion rubles.

year 2001

The largest flood in the history of Yakutia occurred in May 2001. The people dubbed it the "Lena flood". The flood happened due to unprecedented ice jams on the Lena. The water level in the river exceeded the maximum flood and reached 20 meters. Already in the first days, 98% of the territory of the city of Lensk was flooded. More than 3 thousand houses were destroyed, 30.8 thousand people were injured. The total amount of damage amounted to 7 billion rubles.

The largest flood in the history of Yakutia is called the "Lena flood"

2002

In the summer of 2002, in the south of Russia, due to heavy rainfall, a major flood occurred, which affected 9 regions. The Stavropol Territory suffered more than others. 377 settlements were in the flood zone. The elements destroyed more than 13 thousand houses, more than 40 thousand buildings were damaged. More than 100 people died. The total amount of damage is estimated at 16-18 billion rubles.

2004
In April 2004, a flood occurred in the Kemerovo region due to a rise in the level of the local rivers Kondoma, Tom and their tributaries. More than six thousand houses were destroyed, 10 thousand people were injured, nine died. In the city of Tashtagol, located in the flood zone, and the villages closest to it, 37 pedestrian bridges were destroyed by flood waters, 80 kilometers of regional and 20 kilometers of municipal roads were damaged. The element also disrupted telephone communications. The damage, according to experts, amounted to 700-750 million rubles.

year 2012

On July 6-7, 2012, heavy rains in the Krasnodar Territory led to the most destructive flood in the history of the region. The main blow of the elements fell on the Krymsky region and directly on Krymsk - a city with a population of 57 thousand people. As a result of flooding in Krymsk, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 171 people died. 53 thousand people were recognized as victims of the disaster, of which 29 thousand lost their property. Over 7,000 private households and 185 apartment buildings were destroyed. Energy, gas and water supply systems, road and rail traffic were disrupted. Specialists assigned this flood the status of an outstanding one, and foreign media described it as a flash flood - sudden. The total damage from the flood is estimated at about 20 billion rubles.

year 2013

At the end of the summer of 2013, a powerful flood hit the Far East, which led to the largest flood in the region over the past 115 years. It covered five subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District, the total area of ​​flooded territories amounted to more than 8 million square meters. km.

In total, 37 municipal districts, 235 settlements and more than 13 thousand residential buildings were flooded. More than 100 thousand people suffered. The most affected were the Amur Region, which was the first to receive the blow of the elements, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Khabarovsk Territory.

Among the catastrophes described below, there is one that also affected Ukraine. Read on for details.

No. 10. Flooding on the rivers Po and Arno (Italy, 1966)

This year, heavy rains dragged on for a whole week. The result: a sharp rise in the water level in the rivers, which the protective dams could not withstand. So Florence and Pisa were flooded. For the first, this natural disaster turned out to be the strongest in the last 500 years. It destroyed:

• more than 5 thousand residential buildings;
• about 6 thousand enterprises;
• caused incredible damage to Florence as one of the cultural centers of the world. Including museum exhibits (collections of books, paintings, manuscripts) that were there.

Source: jeffhead.com

No. 9. Flooding on the Dnieper (Ukraine, 1931)

Once nature made fun of our homeland: it gave Ukraine a rainy autumn of 1930, and a record amount of snow in the winter of 1930-31. This led to the fact that in the spring of 1931 there was more water in the Dnieper than usual. Result: the river flooded the territory with a length of 12 km from Mogilev to Zaporozhye, and with it:

• many residential buildings;
• 2 power plants;
• several plants and factories (including food factories, which created additional conditions for hunger).

Source: dnepr.com

No. 8. Flooding in the countries of the North Sea (Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Belgium, Germany, 1953)

In the winter of 1953, a high tide arose in the North Sea caused by a storm. It turned out to be almost 6 meters higher than expected values. Result: The coasts of Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Belgium and Germany were flooded. The total death toll is about 2500 people.

But the European countries distributed among themselves compensation for damages caused by the elements. Thus, the economic damage did not have too catastrophic consequences. Although the Netherlands, as a country that suffered the brunt of the tide, still had a hard time.

Source: exdat.com

No. 7. Flood on the Pacific coast (Thailand, 1983)

And Thailand in 1983 was tortured by monsoon rains. They poured continuously for almost 3 months, which practically paralyzed the country. Result: damage estimated at $500 million. And a considerable number of dead - 10 thousand people. Plus another 100,000 sick people have contracted water-borne infections.

Source: chime.in

No. 6. Flooding on the Pacific coast (Japan, 2011)

An earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, which generated a tsunami in places up to 40.5 meters high. And this element hit the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Miyagi Prefecture got the most:

• local communications were cut off;
• the airport is flooded;
• water washed away and overturned cars and planes, destroyed buildings.

The total death toll from the earthquake and tsunami is 23,000.

Source: www.moimir.org

No. 5. Surge on the Pacific coast (Bangladesh, 1991)

Today Marian is just a beautiful name. And in 1991, it was a terrible cyclone for Bangladesh, which raised a wave 7-9 meters high. The elements hit the southeastern coast of the country, took the lives of about 140 thousand people, and wiped out almost a million buildings. Huge damage was done to agriculture:

• crops were destroyed on a gigantic territory;
• livestock died;
• flooding the area with salty sea water made the land unsuitable for agriculture for a long time.

Source: dantri.com.vn

No. 4. Flooding on the coast of the Indian Ocean (Indonesia, India, Thailand, 2004)

2004 is the year when an incredibly powerful underwater earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean. The result was a tsunami that hit the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India and even Thailand. The number of dead and missing as a result of the cataclysm exceeded 230 thousand people. But the giant wave did not stop there, and after 7 hours it reached Somalia, having overcome almost the entire ocean. There she took the lives of 250 people.

As you know, the biggest floods in the world happened 189 years ago in St. Petersburg. Read about him and others below.

1. 1824. Petersburg flood

November 19, 1824 There was a flood in St. Petersburg. It claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed a large number of houses. The water level in the Neva River and its numerous channels rose by about 4.14 - 4.21 m above the norm. Approximately 200-600 people died. Before the start of the terrible flood, it was raining and a very damp and piercing wind was blowing. By evening, the city was suddenly flooded. The flood did not reach only the Foundry, Karetnaya and Rozhdestvenskaya zones of St. Petersburg.

2. 1931 Flooding in China

From 1928 until 1930, as you know, China suffered from severe drought. However, by the end of the winter of 1930, terrible snowstorms began, and in the spring, torrential incessant rains suddenly began. For this reason, the water level in the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers has increased excessively. As a result - a flood and about 145 thousand - 4 million dead.

3. 1887 and 1938 Flooding on the Yellow River.

In 1887, there were torrential rains in Henan province, as a result, on September 28, the water broke through the dams. Soon the current reached the city of Zhengzhou, and then spread throughout northern China, covering about 130 thousand square kilometers. The flood left about 2 million people homeless and claimed the lives of about 900 thousand people.

4. 1530. Saint Felix flood

On Saturday, November 5, 1530, on a special day - the day of St. Felix de Valois, most of Flanders, the historical region of the Netherlands, and several provinces of Zeeland were washed away with water. At least 100 thousand people died in the process. Subsequently, this day began to be called Evil Saturday.

5. 1634 Flood Burchardi

On the night of October 11-12, 1634. Due to the storm surge of a huge amount of water caused by the strongest gale-force wind, terrible flooding occurred in Denmark and Germany. The dikes broke, and the water flooded all the coastal communities and cities in North Frisia. Approximately 8-15 thousand people died.

A painting that depicts Burchardi's flood:

6. 1342 Flood of Saint Mary Magdalene

In July 1342, on the day of memory of the well-known myrrh-bearing Mary Magdalene (the Lutheran and Catholic churches celebrate this day on July 22), the worst of the floods in Central Europe happened.

The strongest hailstorms and sudden melting of snow sometimes lead to catastrophic consequences - the death of hundreds or even thousands of people, cause significant material damage and destroy infrastructure. It is not the first time that the largest floods in the world indicate to a person who is really in charge on earth.

in 1931

One of the largest floods in the world occurred in China at the end of the first third of the twentieth century. From 1928 to 1930, the country suffered from a very severe drought, but in the winter of 1930 there were constant snowstorms, and in the spring - incessant downpours and a sharp warming, due to which the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers overflowed, the banks were washed away, and the water began to wash away nearby settlements . In the Yangtze River, the water level rose seventy centimeters in just one summer month.

The river overflowed and reached the then capital of China - the city of Nanjing. Many drowned or died from water-borne infections (typhoid, cholera, and others). Among the desperate locals, cases of child murder and cannibalism are known during this difficult time. According to local sources, about 145,000 people died, while Western sources claimed that between 3.7 and 4 million people were among the dead.

Natural Disaster in Huang He Province

The other big flood in the world also happened in China, only a few decades earlier. In 1887, it rained incessantly for many days in the Huang He province, as a result, the water level rose and the dams broke. The water soon reached the city of Zhengzhou, located in this province, and then spread throughout northern China, that is, an area of ​​​​approximately 1300 km 2. About two million people as a result of one of the worst floods in the world were left homeless, nine hundred thousand local residents died.

Flood of Saint Felix in 1630

On the day of St. Felix de Valois - one of the founders of the order of the Trinitarians - most of Flanders, the historical region of the Netherlands and the province of Zeeland, were washed away with water. It is assumed that more than a hundred thousand inhabitants became victims of the raging elements. The day when the natural disaster happened, subsequently began to be called Evil Saturday in this area.

Flood of Saint Mary Magdalene

Floods happen all over the world. The largest in Central Europe (of the documented ones) happened on the day of memory of Mary Magdalene in the summer of 1342. This memorable date is celebrated by the Lutheran and Catholic Churches on the twenty-second of July. On the day of the disaster, the Danube, Werra, Unstrut, Mosel, Rhine, Main, Elbe, Vltava and Mosel flooded the surroundings. Many cities were seriously damaged. Würzburg, Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Vienna, Cologne and others suffered.

After a long dry summer, heavy rains followed for several days in a row, approximately half of the annual rainfall fell. Dry soil did not absorb such a huge amount of water. Many houses were destroyed and thousands of people died. The total number of victims of one of the worst floods in the world is unknown, but it is believed that about six thousand local residents drowned in the coastal areas of the Danube alone.

The next summer, cold and wet, the population was left without a harvest and suffered greatly from famine. The plague epidemic was added to the troubles, which reached its peak in 1348-1350, taking the lives of at least a third of the population of central Europe. The Black Death affected the natives of Asia, North Africa, Europe and Greenland.

Tragedy in Thailand in 2011-2012

The natural disaster was caused by the strongest rains in the last half century in the central, northern and northeastern provinces of the country. From there, through the lowlands, the water went to Bangkok. In total, sixty-five provinces out of seventy-six were affected, more than thirteen thousand people died. Rain was caused by Tropical Storm Nok-ten, which hit Thailand on July 5, 2011.

The flood continued for quite some time. As a result, several industrial zones were flooded, where automobile corporations factories, hard disk factories, fifteen thousand other enterprises and eight hundred thousand residential buildings, one and a half million hectares of agricultural land and 12.5% ​​of rice fields in Thailand were located, the second largest airport in country. Material damage was estimated at a minimum of $24.3 billion (maximum $43 billion).

Flooding in Australia 2010-2011

One of the latest floods in the world (of the largest) occurred in the Australian state of Queensland. During the Christmas holidays, there were heavy showers as a result of tropical cyclone Tasha. As a result, exceeded the maximum values. In early January 2010, a natural disaster affected the state capital and the Lockyer Valley, washing away everything in its path. Only twenty-three people became victims of the disaster, but this is only because the authorities managed to evacuate about two hundred thousand local residents. Twenty cities were flooded, the damage is estimated at billions of dollars.

Spill in Myanmar

In May 2008, the strongest tropical cyclone Nargis hit the country, which led to the spill of a large water artery - the Irrawaddy speech. Streams of water washed away entire cities. Ninety thousand people were killed as a result of the natural disaster, fifty-six thousand were missing, and experts estimated the damage at ten billion dollars of the United States of America.

Ominous floods in Pakistan in the summer of 2010

One of the worst floods in the world happened in 2010 in Pakistan. The victims of the raging elements were 2 thousand people, and the damage amounted to 10 billion dollars. The flood caused a mass exodus of spiders. They fled from the water on the trees, wrapping the crowns with a thick layer of cobwebs. Therefore, coastal landscapes have acquired a truly ominous look.

Flooding in the Czech Republic in 2002

Another major flood in the world in 2002 hit Europe. The Czech Republic suffered the most. The Vltava River rose seven meters, flooded houses and the subway, almost washed away the Charles Bridge, one of the main attractions. The zoo was badly damaged by the flood. More than 100 animals died as a result. The damage amounted to 4 billion US dollars.

Natural disaster in the Philippines in 2009

More than 370 thousand people were forced to leave their homes due to the threat caused by flooding. More than 600 thousand local residents suffered from the consequences of the rampant disaster, about 300 people died. A state of emergency was declared in the capital and other cities, one of the airports was suspended, flights were canceled or rescheduled, and many kilometers of traffic jams literally paralyzed the city.

Nearby countries also suffered from tropical typhoon Ketsana, which passed a few days after the flood. On Tuesday, the rains hit the coast of Vietnam and took the lives of 23 people. More than 340mm of rain fell in the Philippines in six hours. These are the heaviest rains in the country since the middle of the last century.

The island nation suffers from about twenty typhoons and tropical storms every year, but this disaster has become one of the major floods in the world in the 21st century. The government even turned to the international community with a request for assistance in eliminating the consequences of the rampant disaster.

The worst floods in Russia

In the regions of the Russian Federation, heavy rainfall occurs from time to time, which leads to a rise in the water level in the rivers and creates the possibility of flooding nearby settlements. So, the biggest floods in the world happened on the territory of Russia. In 2017, for example, in Stavropol, more than 40,000 people were evacuated due to the threat of overfilling the Otkaznensky reservoir. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 5,000 people died from the elements, about a thousand of them were children.

Another major flood in the world (the Red Cross sent funds for help, humanitarian aid came from Azerbaijan and Belarus) happened in Krymsk on July 6-7, 2012. In the entire history of the region, this natural disaster was the most devastating. The main blow fell on Krymsk, but Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, the villages of Neberdzhaevskaya, Nizhnebakanskaya, Divnomorskoye, Kabardinka were badly damaged.

53 thousand people were recognized as victims, almost 30 thousand of them lost their property, one hundred and fifty-six people died. More than seven thousand private houses and 185 apartment buildings, nine healthcare facilities, fifteen boiler houses, three cultural facilities, eighteen educational institutions were destroyed, gas, water and energy supply systems, railway and automobile traffic were disrupted.

In May 2001, Lensk was seriously damaged by the raging elements. The city was almost completely washed away by water: in the very first days of the flood, 98% of the territory of the settlement was under water. Eight local residents were killed, and more than five thousand houses were flooded. Lensk has already become a victim of the elements before. In 1998, for example, due to ice jams on the Lena, a severe flood began. The water in the river has risen by eleven meters - this is a critical level. Almost 100 thousand people were affected, fifteen became victims of the flood.

In the summer of 2002, nine southern regions of the Russian Federation suffered from severe flooding. 377 settlements were under water. The most difficult situation has developed in Mineralnye Vody, where the water level in the river has risen five to six meters above the critical level. The damage from the impact of the elements amounted to 16 billion rubles, 300 thousand people suffered, 114 local residents became victims.

The largest flood in the world occurred in 1931 in China. The total death toll is over 4 million. The prehistory of this terrible event is associated with adverse weather conditions that arose in the period from 1928 to 1930. In the winter of 1930, heavy snowstorms began, and in the spring - heavy rains and a sharp thaw. In this regard, there was a sharp rise in the water level in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers. The water level in the Yangtze River rose by 70 centimeters in July.

This led to the fact that the river rapidly overflowed its banks and reached the capital of China, the city of Nanjing. Water acted as a carrier of numerous diseases: typhus, cholera and others. Therefore, many people died as a result of infectious diseases, others drowned. Real cases of cannibalism and infanticide have been recorded among residents who have lost hope of salvation and fell into deep despair. Chinese sources say the world's worst flood killed 145,000 people, while Western sources put the death toll at 4 million.

How events happened

In 1931, tropical downpours and prolonged heavy rains hit the Chinese provinces. As a result of the large volume of water, numerous dams were unable to cope with the huge flows. Barrier structures were simultaneously destroyed in different places. At the same time, increased activity of cyclones was observed, since there were about 7 of them in July. Given that the climatic norm is 2 times a year.

The peak point of this large-scale disaster was a strong typhoon that hit one of the largest lakes in China, Gaoyu, which is located in Jiangsu province. During this period of time, the water level was at an extremely high level due to numerous rains.

The strongest wind raised high waves that beat against various structures and dams. Already after midnight, a very large gap formed, which reached 700 meters. Almost all the dams were destroyed, so the stormy stream quickly burst into the city and destroyed everything that came across it on the way. Over 10,000 people died overnight.

In 1931, there was a flood that paralyzed life in northern China. The water did not leave some places for up to 6 months. People did not have enough food, epidemics of typhus and cholera broke out in the city, and there was no roof over their heads. The government at that time was concentrated by the war between the Nationalists and the Communists, as well as the Japanese intervention in the north. Affected people were assisted by foreign citizens and rescue missions. The famous pilot Charles Lindbergh and his wife took an active part in the delivery of medicines and food. Also, Lindbergh made his flights together with a Chinese doctor who provided medical assistance to the victims.

What ended

With the forces of two million people, China managed to cope with the elements and its consequences. People restored the dams and infrastructure of the city. However, China was waiting for several more major floods that destroyed the erected dams. In 1938, there was a deliberate explosion of the structures that held back the Yellow River. This made it possible to stop the advance of enemy armies during the Second World War. A vast area was flooded, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people.

A flood of this magnitude was not the only one in Chinese history, as the Yangtze overflowed its banks in 1911, when the death toll was 100,000. In 1935, there was a large-scale flood that claimed the lives of 142 thousand people, and in 1954, about 30 thousand people died as a result of a natural disaster. The last time a flood occurred in 1998, when the death toll was 3,656 people.

During this terrible natural disaster, 330 thousand hectares of land were flooded, and 40 million people lost their homes. The crops on a vast territory were completely destroyed, and a total of 3 million people died from disease and hunger. That is why this flood is one of the largest natural disasters in the history of mankind.

You should be aware that such natural phenomena, which were caused by the rise of water, were not uncommon in China. Monsoon rains during the summer season contributed to the natural disaster. In summer, winds from the Pacific Ocean bring moist air, the accumulation of which leads to heavy rains.

In the past, floods were caused by the formation of ice dams in the upper reaches of the river. Today, ice dams are destroyed by bombing from aircraft. This is done in advance before they become dangerous. Thanks to the construction of irrigation facilities in the 20th century, the threat of flooding in the Huai River basin has been reduced to a minimum.

Also, the construction of a special dam called "Three Gorges" helped to solve the problem with recurring floods. The facility was commissioned in 2012 and is one of the largest hydraulic structures in the world. The hydroelectric power plant is designed to protect the land in the lower reaches of the Yantsa River, the spills of which had a catastrophic effect and caused the death of several thousand people.

In December 2003, a memorial museum dedicated to the memory of people who were seriously affected by the floods in 1931 was erected in Gaoyu City.