Flood Impact

A flood can affect the environment, the economy of a region and its society. Especially when they occur in areas with large populations and intense economic activity, the damage they cause is very significant. Environmentally, a flood can have a negative impact on flooded soil (i.e. erosion) and make cultivated land inefficient. The economic impact of a flood refers to the direct economic impact (i.e. destruction of real estate, agricultural land, production, infrastructure) as well as the cost of restoring infrastructure to withstand potential floods of similar importance and risk in the future. In general, floods are responsible for 20-30% of the economic damage caused by natural disasters (Elmer et al. 2010). The loss of human life and the psychological trauma they cause are also very significant; however, they cannot be quantified and included in the economic impact.