Knowra Urban flooding Urban flooding Urban flooding occurs when water overwhelms drainage systems or inundates built-up land. It can result from intense rainfall, river or coastal overflow, or infrastructure failure.
Impervious surface : A surface that allows little or no water to pass through it into the ground. Roads and roofs limit infiltration, sending more rainfall rapidly into drains and streets.
Flash flood : A rapid flood that develops within minutes or hours after intense rainfall or another sudden water release. Short, intense storms can produce dangerous flooding before urban drains can respond.
Flood risk assessment : The analysis of flood hazards, exposed people and assets, and their vulnerability to estimate potential losses. It combines rainfall, drainage, land use, and exposure to identify urban areas at risk.
Flood damage : Physical and economic harm caused when floodwater affects buildings, infrastructure, land, or goods. Urban floods damage homes, transport networks, utilities, and commercial property.
Flood control : Measures intended to limit flooding through structures, channels, or other interventions that constrain water. Traditional urban defenses seek to keep floodwater out or move it away quickly.
Urban runoff : Rainwater or meltwater that flows over developed land instead of infiltrating into soil. It carries rainfall from roofs and roads toward drainage systems and low-lying areas.
River flood : Flooding that occurs when a river exceeds the capacity of its channel and spreads over surrounding land. Cities beside rivers can flood even when local rainfall is modest.
Flood mapping : The representation of areas likely to be inundated under specified flood conditions. Maps guide land-use decisions, emergency planning, and public warnings in urban areas.
Waterborne disease : An illness caused by pathogens or toxins transmitted through contaminated water. Floodwater can mix with sewage and spread contamination through neighborhoods and buildings.
Flood resilience : The capacity of people, systems, and places to withstand flooding, limit harm, and recover. Resilience planning includes coping with floods rather than relying only on preventing inundation.
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