Floods and Flood Plains

Introduction:

Floods are common and costly natural disasters. They are usually localized events that can happen suddenly, and can last from a few minutes to several weeks. This fact sheet describes different types of floods and why they occur, contains a U.S. map depicting common flood times, and discusses ways to limit flood damage and reduce their risk.

Objective:

This fact sheet can be used as part of a lesson to help students understand:
• Causes of floods
• Weather patterns that determine when floods occur
• The magnitude of floods and recurrence intervals
• What flood plains are
• How dams and levees can reduce flood risk
 

Instructions:

Use this easy-to-understand fact sheet to describe why floods occur and discusse the basics about flood-plain designation.