Get the Facts About Floods | SERVPRO of East Cobb

4/11/2022 (Permalink)

Regardless of the cause of the flooding, SERVPRO of East Cobb has the team to help you recover from any disastrous event.

Flooding is the most common natural disaster. It claims more lives in the United States each year than hurricanes, tornadoes or lightning. Flooding affects everything from individual homes where property collects excess water to wide swaths of communities and cities.

All of the United States and its territories are affected by flooding. There are similarities in types and causality among all them. Flooding happens for four typical reasons, and there are three usual types.

Natural Flooding and Its 4 Common Causes

Oceanic activity. Storm surges, hurricanes and rising tides can cause water levels to rise in waves, which can invade coastal communities and wreak havoc.

Heavy rainfall. Rainfall that is excessive or storms that sit and rest over an area for an extended period can cause flash floods or river flooding. Concrete and asphalt in urban areas make them more likely to flood after a rainstorm, since there isn’t enough soil to soak up all that water. Near the end of 2021, heavy rain ripped through East Cobb, causing serious flooding. As a result, multiple roads were closed, and Cobb Fire and Emergency Services had to rescue several people who were trapped in flooded cars. DOT crews worked 15 reports of flooded roadways in a single night.

Snowmelts and ice dams. When heavy snow and prolonged freezing temperatures are common in an area, snow and ice can build up over wintertime, and as soon as the snow and ice begin to thaw, they can trigger flowing waters, which make their way through communities. Ice dams or ice jams can occur when rivers become blocked by built-up ice traveling downstream, causing the banks to overflow.

Dams and levees failing. The most notable example of this in recent history would be the disastrous levee breaks during 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Levees and dams fail when cracks occur or excess pressure overtakes the dam’s ability to contain the surge of water behind it.

3 Types of Natural Flooding

Flash floods are common, and they happen when heavy rain passes or sits over an area and overwhelms the ability of the ground to contain the moisture. Excess water runs off and takes garbage cans, cars and more with it.

River floods occur when there’s too much water for a river’s banks to hold, the water spills over the sides and causes destruction.

Coastal floods happen in areas next to large bodies of water, when storm surges or cyclonic activity causes ocean or gulf levels to rise to flood levels.

SERVPRO of East Cobb has the tools and teams to help your home or business recover from its disastrous effects regardless of the cause of the flooding. Contact us anytime if flooding or water damage affect your day-to-day life. Learn more about SERVPRO of East Cobb and our services online or call us at (770) 424-0400 to see how we can help.