Aggressive flash floods may look strange, but they are happening now days in incremented levels like never before and are going unnoticed by many. There is a slow change in the climate , especially in the atmosphere, and it’s causing these unusual flash floods on the earth. According to the article “Hydrology, Floods and Droughts” by C.A. Doswell, “flash flood are defined as those flood events where the rise in water is either during or within a few hours of the rainfall that produces the rise. As a result, they occur within a small time where the response time of the drainage basin is short”. Because of that, small amounts of rainfall can trigger flash floods and can be disastrous.
In addition, the damage done by fast-moving waters of a flash flood can be extremely devastating. There are apparently three causes of flash floods; sudden downpours, floods brought on by days of steady rain causing rivers to burst their banks, and floods following snow melt which causes sea rise as well. This, plus the extra hard surfaces being constantly added to ever-larger urban areas, makes other flooding much more damaging. Besides, there are also greater threats caused by global warming like greenhouse gases. These are possible consequences of ozone depletion and result in climate change in our atmosphere. That’s where the water vaper molecules (H2O or HOH) are produced when the heat and sun hit the oceans, rivers, and lakes. These are the leading heat trapping gases which cause temperatures to rise and climate change in the atmosphere, this event is known as global warming. Global warming leads to unusual severe weather phenomena, such as storms, tornadoes, drought, and heavy precipitation in a short time or longer, all of which have the potential to cause loss of life and properties.
Therefore, it is important that measures are taken to reduce global warming because floods are increasing due to the combination of climate change, and our growing habit of paving over green spaces that produce the greenhouse gases such as CFCs, CO2, etc. Education is vital for humans to understand the impacts of climate change and to act quickly before it’s too late. It is regrettable that the United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement because it discourages all other countries who have taken steps to slow climate change. I am raising my voice and using the skills and knowledge I have gained about natural disasters to increase the awareness of the impact of climate change, and to offer solutions that can be made so our planet can be habitable for all and future generations to come.
