Terrible floods in the world. The most famous floods in the world. Natural disaster in Yellow River Province

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1. St. Petersburg flood, 1824

Interestingly, before the founding of St. Petersburg, the largest flood in the Neva delta occurred in 1691, when this territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Sweden. This incident is mentioned in Swedish chronicles. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 centimeters.

2. Flood in China, 1931

3. Yellow River Flood, 1887 and 1938

Yellow River Yellow River:

At least 100 thousand dead. On Saturday November 5, 1530, the day of Saint Felix de Valois, most of Flanders was washed away, historical region The Netherlands and the province of Zealand. Researchers believe that more than 100 thousand people died. Subsequently, the day when the disaster occurred began to be called Evil Saturday.

5. Burchardi flood, 1634

6. Flood of St. Mary Magdalene, 1342

On this day, the overflowing waters of the rivers Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, Weser, Werra, Unstrut, Elbe, Vltava and their tributaries flooded the surrounding lands. Many cities, such as Cologne, Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Würzburg, Regensburg, Passau and Vienna, were seriously damaged.

Water is not only a vital liquid for humans, but also a destructive element that can wipe out cities from the face of the earth in a matter of hours. While seismologists are developing technologies to predict earthquakes and work is underway to predict hurricanes in areas often prone to this disaster, predicting flooding is sometimes impossible. Floods have become tragedies for many countries around the world, and today we will talk about the most famous of them...

St. Petersburg, 1824

The most severe flood in St. Petersburg occurred on November 7 (old style) 1824. On this day, the maximum water rise level reached 410 cm above normal.

Already on November 6, a strong wind was blowing from the bay. By evening the weather became even worse and the water began to rise. At night a real storm broke out. Early in the morning, signal lights were lit on the Admiralty Tower, warning city residents about the threat of flooding. Eyewitnesses recall that careless St. Petersburg residents, waking up and seeing the water rising in the canals, hurried to the banks of the Neva to admire the elements.

But even when the residents of the Admiralty part of the city did not yet expect a great misfortune, the low-lying areas located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland were already flooded. A few hours later, the Neva, as well as other rivers and canals, overflowed their banks even where there were high embankments. The entire city, with the exception of the Foundry and Rozhdestvenskaya parts, was flooded with water almost as tall as a person.

People fled from the raging disaster as best they could. Low wooden houses suffered especially, which were simply carried away by the pressure of the water. Someone climbed onto the roof, onto high bridges, someone swam on gates, logs, grabbing onto the manes of horses. Many, rushing to save their property in the basements, died. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, the Governor-General of St. Petersburg, Count M. Miloradovich, appeared on Nevsky Prospekt on a large boat, trying to cheer up the residents and provide them with at least some help.

Another eyewitness to the flood left the following memories about it:

"It is impossible to describe this spectacle. The Winter Palace stood like a rock in the middle of a stormy sea, withstanding the onslaught of waves from all sides, crashing with a roar against its strong walls and watering them with splashes almost to the top floor; on the Neva, the water boiled as if in a cauldron, and with incredible force reversed the flow of the river; two heavy boats landed on the granite parapet opposite the Summer Garden, barges and other ships rushed like chips up the river...

In the square opposite the palace there is a different picture: under an almost black sky, dark greenish water was spinning as if in a huge whirlpool; Wide sheets of iron, torn from the roof of the new building of the General Staff, were flying through the air... the storm played with them like fluff..."

By three o'clock in the afternoon the water began to subside, and at night the streets were completely cleared of water. It was difficult to calculate the exact number of flood victims; different figures were given: from 400 to 4 thousand people. Material damage was estimated at many millions of rubles.

The disaster once again made us think about the need to protect St. Petersburg from rising waters. Various projects appeared: some involved turning the Neva Bay into an artificial lake, which would be separated from the Gulf of Finland by a dam with holes for the passage of ships. According to others, the creation of protective structures was envisaged at the mouth of the Neva. But none of the projects were implemented.

The development of science has made it possible to more accurately determine the cause of sudden Neva floods. Now no one seriously discussed the hypothesis that the rise of water was caused by its influx from Lake Ladoga. Data accumulated over many years have led to the conclusion that real reason floods - in waves formed in the Gulf of Finland.

In a wide bay this wave is invisible, but as the bay narrows towards the confluence of the Neva, the wave becomes higher. If a strong wind from the bay is added to this, then the water rises to a critical level, and it is in such cases that the Neva overflows its banks.

After the flood of 1824, the city experienced many more large rises in water, but the level of 1824 remained a record.

Gaoyu, 1931

The largest rivers in China, the Yangtze and Yellow River, or Yellow River, have long been known for their floods, which have brought enormous disasters. In August 1931, both of them, along with the Huaihe River, overflowed their banks, and in densely populated China this led to a huge disaster.

In the summer, when southeast winds begin to blow, they bring with them humid air from the Pacific Ocean, and it accumulates over the territory of China. As a result, the area receives heavy rainfall, especially in June, July and August.

The summer monsoon period of 1931 was unusually stormy. Heavy rains and tropical cyclones raged across river basins. The dams withstood intense rain and storms for weeks, but they eventually gave way and collapsed in hundreds of places.

Approximately 333,000 hectares of land were flooded, at least 40,000,000 people lost their homes, and crop losses were enormous. Over large areas, the water did not recede for three to six months. Diseases, food shortages, and lack of shelter led to the death of a total of 3.7 million people.

One of the epicenters of the tragedy was the city of Gaoyou in the northern province of Jiangsu. A powerful typhoon hit China's fifth largest lake, Gaoyu, on August 26, 1931. Its water level has already risen to record heights as a result of heavy rains in previous weeks.

A squally wind raised high waves that crashed against the dams. After midnight the battle was lost. The dams were broken in six places, and the largest gap reached almost 700 m. A stormy stream swept through the city and the province. In one morning alone, about 10,000 people died in Gaoyu.

The disaster gave no respite to those who survived the disaster. Large sections of levees have failed again and again, including in 1938, 1954 and 1998. In 1938, the dams were deliberately breached to stop the Japanese advance.

In December 2003, in the city of Gaoyou, which was seriously damaged by severe floods in 1931, a memorial museum was opened.

Mississippi, 1927

The Mississippi is a legendary river in the United States. Throughout history, its spills have always been different destructive force. But the worst, and perhaps the most serious, that the country experienced before Hurricane Katrina arrived was the 1927 flood known as the Great Mississippi Flood.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, attempts have been made to control fluctuations in water levels, and for this purpose, dams and locks were built on the river. At the beginning of 1926 it rained frequently, and the water level in the river rose steadily. In the spring, representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers issued assurances that the built levees, dams and locks were capable of withstanding the capricious Mississippi. And what could be argued if they actually created a system of protective structures.

In mid-April it became obvious that the dams would not be able to contain the pressure of water in conditions of incessant rain, and then they discovered that miscalculations had been made and the measures taken were insufficient. Only the work listed above was completed.

No one thought that artificial canals and canals were also needed to drain river water. Even the civilian engineers who took part in this work criticized such short-sightedness, although military engineers considered such measures unnecessary. In Mississippi, however, the danger was real.

Not only was the flood a natural disaster, it also added to the shameful racial politics of the time. In Greenville, famous for its large cotton plantations and considered the source of Southern wealth, Governor Leroy Percy forced black plantation workers and black prisoners to strengthen levees at police gunpoint.

The plantation workers, 30,000 of them, lived in what looked like a concentration camp. Meanwhile, the white population (who had such an opportunity) hurried north, away from danger.

At 8 a.m. on April 21, Greenville's levees gave way. The flow knew no barriers. At incredible speed, water flooded several states: Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee. In some places, the depth of flooding reached 10 m. Highways, bridges and railroads were flooded with the waters of the mighty Mississippi.

In the delta, 13,000 black men, women and children were stranded. The head of the Red Cross department, the governor's son Will Percy, proposed sending these people by ship to the northern states, where there was no danger. But his father and the plantation owners refused, fearing that the workers would not return. At the same time, the white population was evacuated from the delta region.

Along the entire length of the river, 150 dams could not withstand the pressure of the overflowing waters. In some places, the Mississippi flooded 125 km. The actions taken by the authorities were wrong, in particular this concerns the undermining of part of the dams around New Orleans in order to prevent its flooding.

As a result, the water did not reach the city, but, since the dams were destroyed, it flooded neighboring cities and sown fields. In mid-August the rains stopped and the water began to subside.

During all these terrible months, an area of 70,000 km2 remained flooded; 246 people died, most of them black; 700,000 were internally displaced; 130,000 homes were destroyed and property damage exceeded $400 million.

Johnstown, 1889

Johnstown is located in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794 by European colonists, the city began to develop rapidly when the railroad was built to it in 1834. At the time of the disaster, 30,000 people lived in the city.

Johnstown is located in the Conemah River Valley, surrounded by high hills and the Allegheny Mountains. The city largely owed its prosperity to the river, but it also created a threat to it, overflowing its banks as a result of heavy rains. Winters became a severe test for the city, since snow in the mountains often interfered with communication with the rest of the world.

Until the historic flood of 1889, river floods did not cause too much trouble in the city. The first flood, reflected in the personal diaries of European settlers, occurred in 1808. And from that time on, every ten years a significant rise in water in Conemah caused trouble for the city, but residents did not have to face such problems as in 1889.

The storm, which originated over the states of Nebraska and Kansas, began moving east on May 28. Two days later it hit Johnstown and the Conemah River Valley with a torrential downpour. The amount of precipitation that fell per day broke all records: 150-250 mm. On the night of May 30, the situation became critical when the surrounding small rivers and streams gradually began to turn into torrential torrents that uprooted trees and demolished telegraph poles.

The next morning the railroad track was under water, and Conemah was ready to overflow its banks at any moment. During the first half of the day on May 31, the water level continued to rise. In the middle of the day the situation became even more complicated.

Located 23 km upstream, the South Fork dam could not withstand the pressure, and the waters of Lake Conemah poured into the river, overflowing it, and a rapid stream rushed into the city at a speed of more than 60 km/hour, sweeping away everything in its path.

Buildings collapsed under the impact of the debris that the rebellious river carried with it, and very few of them were able to stand. In a matter of minutes, parts of the city found themselves under an eighteen-meter layer of water. Survivors of the flood had to spend hours, or even days, on the roofs of surviving houses or swim, clinging to doors, windows or tree trunks - to anything that made it possible to escape.

The failure of the South Fork Dam sparked fierce controversy after the disaster. Built between 1838-1853 as part of state system channels, it was sold shortly after opening to private companies. She was surrounded luxury houses and restaurants, not to mention a hunting club built for the benefit of local tycoons, but the dam itself was neglected and deteriorating.

Residents of the city complained to the mayor and the owners of the dam about cracks that appeared in it. Repair work has been carried out, but its quality is highly questionable.

The merciless flood claimed the lives of 2,200 people, of whom 750 could not be identified, and destroyed 10,600 buildings. An area of 10 km2 was completely devastated. The disaster destroyed bridges and railroads vital to Johnstown's economy. The damage was estimated at an astronomical amount for those times - over $17 million.

For several months, more than 7,000 people worked to restore the city and provide assistance to the victims. Russia, Turkey, France, Great Britain, Australia, Germany and twelve other countries sent money, food, clothing and building materials to Jonestown.

In providing assistance to victims, the work of the head and founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton, should be especially noted. Work in Johnstown was the first experience of this organization's participation in providing relief after natural disasters. Barton and her volunteers spent five months in Johnstown.

Zealand, 1953

A rare coincidence of the onset of spring tide and a northwest storm caused catastrophic flood in the Dutch province of Zeeland. In order to prevent such disasters, huge amounts of money have been invested in the Delta Project, which can protect the Netherlands from the harmful effects of floods.

Over the centuries, the islands located in the south of the Dutch provinces of Zeeland and South Holland have repeatedly suffered from severe floods. Some of the most devastating were the St. Elizabeth's Day flood of 1421, which killed an estimated 2,000 people, and the All Hallow's Day flood of 1570, which killed some 20,000 people.

Disasters of a less destructive scale - such as the flood of 1916 - have occurred repeatedly in Holland. Due to the threat of flooding, the dams were equipped with warning systems. Coincidentally, two days before the 1953 flood, due to the real threat of inundation of the mainland, the Ministry of Public Works and Water Management made a proposal to close a number of locks.

By midday on Saturday 31 January, the Royal Meteorological Institute reported a severe storm approaching from the north-west. By that time, he had already swept along the coast of Scotland and was now moving straight towards the Netherlands.

In turn, meteorological services, having received the information, issued a warning by radio and also sent a telex to water monitoring services in the cities of Rotterdam, Willemstad, Bergen op Zoom and Gorinchem. Knowing that the storm could begin later in the night, the meteorological institute's staff took great pains to ensure that their warning was constantly broadcast by radio until dawn.

For most of the inhabitants of Zealand, radio was the only means of communication with the outside world. But none of the radio stations worked at night, usually ending their broadcasts at midnight with the national anthem. At the radio station in Hilversum it was decided that they would not make any exceptions that night.

The storm hit the coast and islands while most residents were in bed. Due to the fact that in the memory of many it was far from the first, the storm did not cause much concern among people that time either. However, during the night the storm reached its maximum strength. Wind speeds exceeded 11 on the Beaufort scale, reaching speeds of 144 km/h. Coinciding with the beginning of the spring tide, when the water level in the sea reaches its maximum level, a hurricane wind drove huge waves towards the land.

By the middle of the night, instruments recorded 455 cm above sea level. Unable to withstand such a powerful pressure, the dams collapsed one after another. The sound of the wind, rapidly rising water, and the screams of frightened neighbors forced people to hastily leave their beds. Many tried to escape by climbing to higher ground or heading to nearby farms and churches. Those who did not have time were forced to climb into the attic or roof own home. Surrounded on all sides by the raging sea, thousands of people spent there not only the rest of the night, but also the morning of the next day.

By midday the situation had only worsened. The spring tide brought a new wave, which was significantly higher than the previous one. As a result, many people were washed away from the roofs of their own houses, finding themselves in icy water, and drowned. Others managed to escape and swam for a long time, clinging to a non-sinking piece of debris or a piece of wood.

For many, the events had very tragic consequences - the death of loved ones. Finding themselves in the cold, without food, without water, without hope of salvation, children and the elderly were more often than others among those who did not have enough strength to fight the elements.

Large-scale rescue operations began only in the second half of Sunday, but, unfortunately, help came too late for many victims. At that time, much of the modern arsenal of rescue equipment - such as helicopters - was not yet available, and people had to be rescued using small fishing boats. In total, over 70,000 people were evacuated, but most took more than 18 months before they could return to their homes.

Over 170,000 hectares of land were under water, about 10,000 houses were completely destroyed, and 35,000 were seriously damaged. About 40,000 head of cattle and 165,000 units drowned poultry. The damage caused by the disaster was estimated at millions of guilders (the currency of the Netherlands at that time).

The province of South Holland (especially the island of Overflokke), as well as parts of North Brabant bordering Zealand, were seriously affected. On the island of Texel, located in the north of the Netherlands, 1 person was injured by flooding, 14 died in Belgium, 216 in England. A passenger ferry with 134 people on board sank in the Irish Sea.

The largest events to raise money to help the victims were held in the Netherlands. A huge amount of clothing, furniture, and also cash, thanks to the campaign “Let's fill the dams with the contents of our wallets,” which was carried out mainly through radio broadcasting.

Help also came from abroad; many volunteers arrived in the country, among whom were office workers, doctors, and nurses. Scandinavia provided assistance in the form of prefabricated houses: in the province of Zealand they soon discovered that they could be erected in a surprisingly short time, and their quality turned out to be very high. Some of them can still be seen today.

For the Dutch government, the flood provided the impetus for the development and accelerated implementation of a work plan called "Delta". River deltas were blocked off against storm surge by barrier dams and fences. The sluice structures, when the need arose, could be raised or lowered, thereby allowing the height of the water to be adjusted. 1958 marked the beginning of construction, and in 1989 the construction of the last dam was completed.

At the initial cost estimate of the project in euro terms, it was supposed to spend 1.5 billion, but after construction was completed, the figure exceeded 5 billion. The dam in the Eastern Scheldt became a unique structure. For a number of environmental reasons, in 1976 it was decided to equip the dam with 62 sluice holes, each 40 m wide. In the event of a threat of high water, they can be closed.

Dayton, 1913

The causes of the March flood of 1913 appeared several months before this event. As follows from private records and newspaper reports, the New Year brought heavy rain to Kentucky and its neighboring states. Combination low pressure and unusually high temperatures created ideal conditions for such weather. The atmospheric front moved through Kentucky for several weeks, then moved to Ohio, Illinois and reached Indiana by the end of January.

But heavy rains only started to become a concern in mid-March. Ohioans are used to spring river floods, but this time it was obvious that an unusual situation was developing. The rains that continued for several weeks clearly threatened disastrous floods: on Easter week 1913, the rivers overflowed their banks.

Different places have different dates: in some places the flood began on March 21st, and in others on March 23rd. This time, the floods did not spare the cities, which usually did not know such troubles. An example is the city of Akron, which never suffered from spills because it was located on a hill.

Rainfall in Kentucky and Ohio was three times the average for this time of year. The greatest damage was caused by the Ohio River in the state of the same name, although its tributaries, the Miami and Muskingum, also contributed. The authorities were unable to quickly assess the situation, and in some places the measures taken were insufficient.

By this time, few diversion canals had been built, but those that existed were destroyed in an unsuccessful attempt to contain the rise of water. Moreover, it later turned out that they could not be restored. This flood was the worst of all that occurred in the states of Ohio and Indiana, as well as parts of Illinois and New York.

In prosperous Dayton, levees and embankments failed to protect against rising water, and the center was flooded to a height of 6 m. Fast-moving flows knocked out gas lines, causing several fires that could not be extinguished in time due to the fact that firefighters could not reach them. Dayton was in chaos.

It should be noted one of the most notable personalities of the city, John Patterson, who opened his factories and banks to organize shelters in them, and independently organized teams of rescuers and doctors to provide assistance. The merits of people like Patterson cannot be overestimated, and their role was especially important in the early days, when the activities of officials were strikingly helpless.

The authorities were unable to respond in a timely manner to requests from thousands of residents, especially in the states of Ohio and Indiana. The situation in the Muskingum and Miami river valleys was even worse than in Dayton. After four days of heavy rain in the Muskingum Valley, the river overflowed its banks, and thousands of valley residents fled to the hills to escape the chaos.

The towns located in the valley had neither electricity nor drinking water, and just like in Dayton, firefighters were powerless in the face of rushing streams at breakneck speed. In Zanesville, Muskingum rose to an incredible height of 15m and flooded 3,400 homes. In Coshocton, most of the historic center was hidden under three meters of water. Eight people were killed in the valley and property damage amounted to several million dollars.

The Miami River also caused trouble in its valley. It rained here non-stop for three days. IN previous years Most of the flooded area was covered with ice, but this time, due to unusually high February temperatures, no ice formed. And this was very helpful, because the consequences could have been even more serious if the ground had frozen and could not absorb water. It was estimated that in three days the river carried through Dayton an amount of water equal to the flow of Niagara Falls in 30 days. And such a comparison gives a complete picture of the scale of the flooding.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of Indiana was flooded. In Indianapolis, the waters of the White River rose by 9 m, and a similar situation arose in neighboring cities. A record level of water rise - at least 19 m - was recorded in Cincinnati, where the city center was under water, and many buildings were completely flooded. The dams holding back the White River and its tributaries were unable to cope with their task.

According to official figures, the death toll is 428 people, but the real figure is believed to be higher and closer to 1000. More than 300,000 people lost their homes. Overflowing rivers destroyed 30,000 buildings, hundreds of bridges and caused serious damage to infrastructure. The material damage was very significant: about $100 million in 1913 prices.

Netherlands, 1287

The Saint Lucia Flood was a major flooding of the German and Dutch coasts of the North Sea that occurred on December 14, 1287. It killed about 50 thousand people and left enormous destruction. Many villages drowned in water. In East Frisia alone, more than 30 villages were affected. Due to loss large quantity land and the relative insecurity of the marches, many residents moved to higher ground.

In the Netherlands, the Saint Lucia flood turned the former Lake Zuiderzee into a North Sea bay. Only in 1932, as a result of the construction of the Afsluitdijk dam (as part of the Zuiderzee project), the bay was again turned into a freshwater artificial lake IJsselmeer.

189 years ago, the largest flood in the history of St. Petersburg occurred. In memory of this event, I will tell you about it and other deadliest floods in the world.

About 200-600 dead. On November 19, 1824, a flood occurred in St. Petersburg, which killed hundreds of human lives and destroyed many houses. Then the water level in the Neva River and its canals rose 4.14 - 4.21 meters above the normal level (ordinary).
Memorial plaque on the Raskolnikov House:

Before the flood began, it was raining and a damp and cold wind was blowing in the city. And in the evening there was a sharp rise in the water level in the canals, after which almost the entire city was flooded. The flood did not affect only the Liteinaya, Rozhdestvenskaya and Karetnaya parts of St. Petersburg. As a result, material damage from the flood amounted to about 15-20 million rubles, and about 200-600 people died.

One way or another, this is not the only flood that occurred in St. Petersburg. In total, the city on the Neva was flooded more than 330 times. In memory of many floods in the city, memorial plaques have been installed (there are more than 20 of them). In particular, a sign is dedicated to the largest flood in the city, which is located at the intersection of the Kadetskaya Line and Bolshoy Prospekt of Vasilievsky Island.
St. Petersburg flood of 1824. Author of the painting: Fyodor Yakovlevich Alekseev (1753-1824):

Interestingly, before the founding of St. Petersburg largest flood in the Neva delta occurred in 1691, when this territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Sweden. This incident is mentioned in Swedish chronicles. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 centimeters.

About 145 thousand - 4 million dead. From 1928 to 1930, China suffered from severe drought. But at the end of the winter of 1930, strong snowstorms began, and in the spring there were incessant heavy rains and a thaw, which caused the water level in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers to rise significantly. For example, in the Yangtze River the water rose by 70 cm in July alone.

As a result, the river overflowed its banks and soon reached the city of Nanjing, which was at that time the capital of China. Many people drowned and died from waterborne infectious diseases such as cholera and typhoid. There are known cases of cannibalism and infanticide among desperate residents.
According to Chinese sources, about 145 thousand people died as a result of the flood, while Western sources claim that the death toll was between 3.7 million and 4 million.
By the way, this was not the only flood in China caused by the waters of the Yangtze River overflowing its banks. Floods also occurred in 1911 (about 100 thousand people died), in 1935 (about 142 thousand people died), in 1954 (about 30 thousand people died) and in 1998 (3,656 people died). It is considered the largest natural disaster in recorded human history.
Flood victims, August 1931:

About 900 thousand and 500 thousand died, respectively. In 1887, heavy rains fell for many days in Henan Province, and on September 28, rising water in the Yellow River broke the dams. Soon the water reached the city of Zhengzhou, located in this province, and then spread across the entire northern part of China, covering approximately 130,000 sq. km. Due to the flood, about two million people in China were left homeless and approximately 900 thousand people died.
And in 1938, a flood on the same river was caused by the Nationalist government in Central China at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War. This was done in order to stop Japanese troops rapidly advancing into central China. The flood was subsequently called "the largest act of environmental warfare in history."
Thus, in June 1938, the Japanese took control of the entire northern part of China, and on June 6 they captured Kaifeng, the capital of Henan Province, and threatened to capture Zhengzhou, which was located near the intersection of important railways Beijing-Guangzhou and Lianyungang-Xi'an. If the Japanese army had managed to do this, major Chinese cities such as Wuhan and Xi'an would have been under threat.
In order to prevent this, the Chinese government in Central China decided to open dams on the Yellow River near the city of Zhengzhou. Water flooded the provinces of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu adjacent to the river.
Soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army during the flood on the Yellow River in 1938:

The floods destroyed thousands of square kilometers of farmland and many villages. Several million people became refugees. According to initial data from China, about 800 thousand people drowned. However, today, researchers studying the archives of the disaster claim that many died less people- about 400 - 500 thousand.
Yellow River Yellow River:

Interestingly, the value of this Chinese government strategy has been questioned. Because according to some reports, Japanese troops at that time were far from the flooded areas. Although their advance on Zhengzhou was thwarted, the Japanese took Wuhan in October.
4. Flood of St. Felix, 1530
At least 100 thousand dead. On Saturday 5 November 1530, Saint Felix de Valois's day, most of Flanders, the historical region of the Netherlands, and the province of Zealand were washed away. Researchers believe that more than 100 thousand people died. Subsequently, the day when the disaster occurred began to be called Evil Saturday.

About 8-15 thousand dead. On the night of October 11–12, 1634, flooding occurred in Germany and Denmark as a result of a storm surge caused by hurricane winds. That night, dams broke in several places along the North Sea coast, flooding coastal towns and communities in North Friesland.
Painting depicting the Burchardi flood:

According to various estimates, from 8 to 15 thousand people died during the flood.
Maps of North Friesland in 1651 (left) and 1240 (right):

Several thousand. In July 1342, on the feast day of the Myrrh-Bearer Mary Magdalene (the Catholic and Lutheran churches celebrate it on July 22), the largest recorded flood in Central Europe occurred.
On this day, the overflowing waters of the rivers Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, Weser, Werra, Unstrut, Elbe, Vltava and their tributaries flooded the surrounding lands. Many cities, such as Cologne, Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Würzburg, Regensburg, Passau and Vienna, were seriously damaged.
Danube River in Regensburg, Germany:

According to researchers of this disaster, a long hot and dry period was followed by heavy rains that fell for several days in a row. As a result, about half of the average annual precipitation fell. And since the extremely dry soil could not quickly absorb such an amount of water, surface runoff flooded large areas of the territory. Many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people died. Although the total number of deaths is unknown, it is believed that about 6 thousand people drowned in the Danube region alone.
Besides, summer next year It was wet and cold, so the population was left without crops and suffered greatly from hunger. And on top of everything else, the plague pandemic, which passed through Asia, Europe, North Africa and the island of Greenland (Black Death) in the mid-14th century, reached its peak in 1348-1350, taking the lives of at least a third of the population of Central Europe.
Also see the articles “The 10 Largest Meteorites That Fell to Earth” and “The Seven Great Conquests of Man.”
Illustration of the Black Death, 1411:

Floods and other elements have screamed their power since the beginning of time. Often, not only the creations of human hands, but also the people themselves were under their destructive influence. For many centuries in a row, humanity suffered from floods of various scales, which deprived people not only of housing and a roof over their heads, but also of life. Very often people are not ready for such tests and the elements bring a large number of victims, but those who managed to cope with the cataclysm and survive such a terrible disaster once again confirm how brave and strong a person can be morally and physically. During the heavy rainy season, you begin to think about how much trouble water can bring. A person cannot predict when the next flood will occur and what damage it will cause, but he can remember the terrifying pages of history that “drowned” in the water.

1. Such natural disasters have happened in Russia, in particular, one of the most famous floods was in St. Petersburg. In total, the cultural capital of the Russian Federation has experienced dozens of major floods, but the worst and most famous one dates back to 1824. A little less than two hundred years ago, due to a rise in the water level in the Neva by more than four meters, according to various sources, from 200 to 600 thousand citizens died, and the damage amounted to up to 20 million rubles. They say that before the river flooded, heavy, continuous rain began, which led to a sharp rise in water. As a result, countless homes, buildings and other objects were destroyed and flooded. To this day, more than twenty signs with water level marks have been preserved throughout the city in memory of many floods; in total there are about 330 of them in St. Petersburg.

2. The St. Mary Magdalene flood of 1342 is considered the worst disaster in Central Europe. Heavy torrential rains, lasting for several days in a row, led to an increase in water levels in several rivers at once: the Rhine, Weser, Main, Moselle, Werre, Elbe and more. Water flooded the surroundings of such large European cities as Cologne, Passau, Vienna, Regensburg, Frankfurt am Main. The exact number of victims is not known, however, it is assumed that their number is at least several thousand.

3. The flood of 1534 in Denmark and Germany, called the Burchardi flood, claimed more than eight thousand lives. Here, the cause of the cataclysm was a strong hurricane wind, which led to a storm surge of water and a dam breach in several places and the North Sea coast. The communities of North Frisia and many coastal towns were flooded.

4. One of the most famous and largest rivers in China, the Yellow River is famous for its arbitrary and capricious “temper” and frequent floods; its waters have repeatedly brought tragedy to many homes, and the number of victims amounts to millions of families. The largest spills were recorded in 1887 and 1938, when about 900 and 500 thousand people died, respectively. But if in the first case the floods followed multiple dam breaks after prolonged rains, then in the second the disaster was provoked by the nationalist government in order to stop the advance of Japanese troops. Millions of people were forced to leave their homes to escape, and dozens of entire villages and thousands of hectares of agricultural land were under water.

5. As for the cataclysms of the last century, historians note, again, China. In 1934, the Yangtze River overflowed its banks, taking with it the lives of an estimated four million people. After the Flood, this is considered the most catastrophic and large-scale natural phenomenon. As a result of the flood, four million houses and three hundred thousand square meters were flooded. kilometers of land.

6. The 1927 flood in America is called the “Great Flood.” After prolonged heavy rains, the Mississippi River overflowed, flooding an area of ten states. In some places, the water reached a height of ten meters and the government decided to blow up a dam near the city to avoid flooding of New Orleans, which led to further flooding in other areas. According to various estimates, about half a million people died as a result of the flood.

7. One of the most terrible floods on the territory of modern Holland is the Zeeland disaster of 1953. It was caused by the coincidence of a spring tide and a strong storm. And although the local residents were calm, because for many years they had paid enough attention to protection from natural disasters and were confident that the constructed structures would protect them from any storm, they could not avoid the sad consequences. At a speed of 150 kilometers per hour, billions of cubic meters of water rushed onto the land; in the blink of an eye, the raging sea reached the roofs of the tallest city buildings, wiping out more than 130 settlements along the way. The damage was estimated at millions of guilders, only 7 thousand people were evacuated, about two thousand local residents died as a result of the flooding, and many went missing.

10. One of the most destructive natural disasters of our days is considered to be the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which subsequently affected the coasts of Indonesia, South India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The underwater earthquake generated a powerful tsunami, the number of victims is estimated at 230 thousand people.

Oksana Lugovaya

189 years ago, the largest flood in the history of St. Petersburg occurred. To commemorate this event, we cover it and other of the world's deadliest floods.

1. St. Petersburg flood, 1824
About 200-600 dead. On November 19, 1824, a flood occurred in St. Petersburg, which killed hundreds of people and destroyed many houses. Then the water level in the Neva River and its canals rose 4.14 - 4.21 meters above the normal level (ordinary).
Memorial plaque on the Raskolnikov House:

2. Flood in China, 1931
About 145 thousand - 4 million dead. From 1928 to 1930, China suffered from severe drought. But at the end of the winter of 1930, strong snowstorms began, and in the spring there were incessant heavy rains and a thaw, which caused the water level in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers to rise significantly. For example, in the Yangtze River the water rose by 70 cm in July alone.

By the way, this was not the only flood in China caused by the waters of the Yangtze River overflowing its banks. Floods also occurred in 1911 (about 100 thousand people died), in 1935 (about 142 thousand people died), in 1954 (about 30 thousand people died) and in 1998 (3,656 people died). It is considered the largest natural disaster in recorded human history.

Flood victims, August 1931:

3. Yellow River Flood, 1887 and 1938
About 900 thousand and 500 thousand died, respectively. In 1887, heavy rains fell for many days in Henan Province, and on September 28, rising water in the Yellow River broke the dams. Soon the water reached the city of Zhengzhou, located in this province, and then spread across the entire northern part of China, covering approximately 130,000 sq. km. Due to the flood, about two million people in China were left homeless and approximately 900 thousand people died.

And in 1938, a flood on the same river was caused by the Nationalist government in Central China at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War. This was done in order to stop Japanese troops rapidly advancing into central China. The flood was subsequently called "the largest act of environmental warfare in history."

Thus, in June 1938, the Japanese took control of the entire northern part of China, and on June 6 they captured Kaifeng, the capital of Henan Province, and threatened to capture Zhengzhou, which was located near the intersection of the important Beijing-Guangzhou and Lianyungang-Xi'an railways. If the Japanese army had managed to do this, major Chinese cities such as Wuhan and Xi'an would have been under threat.

In order to prevent this, the Chinese government in Central China decided to open dams on the Yellow River near the city of Zhengzhou. Water flooded the provinces of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu adjacent to the river.

Soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army during the flood on the Yellow River in 1938:

The floods destroyed thousands of square kilometers of farmland and many villages. Several million people became refugees. According to initial data from China, about 800 thousand people drowned. However, these days, researchers studying the archives of the disaster claim that much fewer people died - about 400 - 500 thousand.

Yellow River Yellow River:

At least 100 thousand dead. On Saturday, November 5, 1530, the day of Saint Felix de Valois, most of Flanders, the historical region of the Netherlands, and the province of Zealand were washed away. Researchers believe that more than 100 thousand people died. Subsequently, the day when the disaster occurred began to be called Evil Saturday.

5. Burchardi flood, 1634
About 8-15 thousand dead. On the night of October 11–12, 1634, flooding occurred in Germany and Denmark as a result of a storm surge caused by hurricane winds. That night, dams broke in several places along the North Sea coast, flooding coastal towns and communities in North Friesland.

Painting depicting the Burchardi flood:

According to various estimates, from 8 to 15 thousand people died during the flood.
Maps of North Friesland in 1651 (left) and 1240 (right):

6. Flood of St. Mary Magdalene, 1342
Several thousand. In July 1342, on the feast day of the Myrrh-Bearer Mary Magdalene (the Catholic and Lutheran churches celebrate it on July 22), the largest recorded flood in Central Europe occurred.

According to researchers of this disaster, a long hot and dry period was followed by heavy rains that fell for several days in a row. As a result, about half of the average annual precipitation fell. And since the extremely dry soil could not quickly absorb such an amount of water, surface runoff flooded large areas of the territory. Many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people died. Although the total number of deaths is unknown, it is believed that about 6 thousand people drowned in the Danube region alone.
In addition, the summer of the following year was wet and cold, so the population was left without crops and suffered greatly from hunger. And on top of everything else, the plague pandemic, which passed through Asia, Europe, North Africa and the island of Greenland (Black Death) in the mid-14th century, reached its peak in 1348-1350, taking the lives of at least a third of the population of Central Europe.

St. Petersburg, 1824

The most severe flood in St. Petersburg occurred on November 7 (old style) 1824. On this day, the maximum water rise level reached 410 cm above normal.

People fled from the raging disaster as best they could. Short people suffered especially wooden houses, which were simply carried away by the pressure of water. Someone climbed onto the roof, onto high bridges, someone swam on gates, logs, grabbing onto the manes of horses. Many, rushing to save their property in the basements, died. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, the Governor-General of St. Petersburg, Count M. Miloradovich, appeared on Nevsky Prospekt on a large boat, trying to cheer up the residents and provide them with at least some help.

Another eyewitness to the flood left the following memories about it:

The development of science has made it possible to more accurately determine the cause of sudden Neva floods. Now no one seriously discussed the hypothesis that the rise of water was caused by its influx from Lake Ladoga. Data accumulated over many years have led to the conclusion that the real cause of floods is the waves formed in the Gulf of Finland.

After the flood of 1824, the city experienced many more large rises in water, but the level of 1824 remained a record.

Gaoyu, 1931

In December 2003, a memorial museum was opened in Gaoyou City, which was severely damaged by severe floods in 1931.

Mississippi, 1927

The Mississippi is a legendary river in the United States. Throughout history, its spills have always been destructive. But the worst, and perhaps the most serious, that the country experienced before Hurricane Katrina arrived was the 1927 flood known as the Great Mississippi Flood.

The plantation workers, 30,000 of them, lived in what looked like a concentration camp. Meanwhile, the white population (who had such an opportunity) hurried north, away from danger.

As a result, the water did not reach the city, but, since the dams were destroyed, it flooded neighboring cities and sown fields. In mid-August the rains stopped and the water began to subside.

Johnstown, 1889

The failure of the South Fork Dam sparked fierce controversy after the disaster. Built between 1838-1853 as part of the government's canal system, it was sold shortly after opening to private companies. It was surrounded by luxurious homes and restaurants, not to mention a hunting club built for the benefit of local tycoons, but the dam itself was neglected and deteriorating.

Residents of the city complained to the mayor and the owners of the dam about cracks that appeared in it. Repair work has been carried out, but its quality is highly questionable.

Zealand, 1953

A rare coincidence of the onset of a spring tide and a northwest storm caused catastrophic flooding in the Dutch province of Zeeland. In order to prevent such disasters, huge amounts of money have been invested in the Delta Project, which can protect the Netherlands from the harmful effects of floods.

By the middle of the night, instruments recorded 455 cm above sea level. Unable to withstand such a powerful pressure, the dams collapsed one after another. The sound of the wind, rapidly rising water, and the screams of frightened neighbors forced people to hastily leave their beds. Many tried to escape by climbing to higher ground or heading to nearby farms and churches. Those who did not have time were forced to climb into the attic or roof of their own house. Surrounded on all sides by the raging sea, thousands of people spent there not only the rest of the night, but also the morning of the next day.

Over 170,000 hectares of land were under water, about 10,000 houses were completely destroyed, and 35,000 were seriously damaged. About 40,000 head of cattle and 165,000 poultry drowned. The damage caused by the disaster was estimated at millions of guilders (the currency of the Netherlands at that time).

The largest events to raise money to help the victims were held in the Netherlands. Vast amounts of clothing, furniture, and money were collected through the "Let's Seal the Dams with Our Wallets" campaign, which was largely carried out through radio broadcasting.

Dayton, 1913

The causes of the March flood of 1913 appeared several months before this event. According to private records and newspaper reports, the new year brought heavy rains to Kentucky and its neighboring states. The combination of low pressure and unusually high temperatures created ideal conditions for such weather. The atmospheric front moved through Kentucky for several weeks, then moved to Ohio, Illinois and reached Indiana by the end of January.

In the cities located in the valley there was no electricity or drinking water, and just like in Dayton, firefighters were powerless against the rushing streams at breakneck speed. In Zanesville, Muskingum rose to an incredible height of 15m and flooded 3,400 homes. In Coshocton, most of the historic center was hidden under three meters of water. Eight people were killed in the valley and property damage amounted to several million dollars.

The Miami River also caused trouble in its valley. It rained here non-stop for three days. In previous years, most of the flooded area was covered with ice, but this time, due to unusually high February temperatures, no ice formed. And this was very helpful, because the consequences could have been even more serious if the ground had frozen and could not absorb water. It was estimated that in three days the river carried through Dayton an amount of water equal to the flow of Niagara Falls in 30 days. And such a comparison gives a complete picture of the scale of the flooding.

Netherlands, 1287

The Saint Lucia Flood was a major flooding of the German and Dutch coasts of the North Sea that occurred on December 14, 1287. It killed about 50 thousand people and left enormous destruction. Many villages drowned in water. In East Frisia alone, more than 30 villages were affected. Due to the loss of a large amount of land and the relative insecurity of the marches, many residents moved to higher ground.

The summer of 2017 turned out to be unusually rainy. Fortunately, this year's heavy rainfall is a far cry from the devastating floods that occurred in Germany and China several centuries ago.

1. St. Petersburg flood, 1824, about 200-600 dead. On November 19, 1824, a flood occurred in St. Petersburg, which killed hundreds of people and destroyed many houses. Then the water level in the Neva River and its canals rose 4.14 - 4.21 meters above the normal level (ordinary).

St. Petersburg flood of 1824. Author of the painting: Fyodor Yakovlevich Alekseev (1753-1824).

Before the flood began, it was raining and a damp and cold wind was blowing in the city. And in the evening there was a sharp rise in the water level in the canals, after which almost the entire city was flooded. The flood did not affect only the Liteinaya, Rozhdestvenskaya and Karetnaya parts of St. Petersburg. As a result, material damage from the flood amounted to about 15-20 million rubles, and about 200-600 people died. One way or another, this is not the only flood that occurred in St. Petersburg. In total, the city on the Neva was flooded more than 330 times. In memory of many floods in the city, memorial plaques have been installed (there are more than 20 of them). In particular, a sign is dedicated to the largest flood in the city, which is located at the intersection of the Kadetskaya Line and Bolshoy Prospekt of Vasilievsky Island.

Memorial plaque on the Raskolnikov House. Interestingly, before the founding of St. Petersburg, the largest flood in the Neva delta occurred in 1691, when this territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Sweden. This incident is mentioned in Swedish chronicles. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 centimeters.

2. Flood in China, 1931, about 145 thousand - 4 million dead. From 1928 to 1930, China suffered from severe drought. But at the end of the winter of 1930, strong snowstorms began, and in the spring there were incessant heavy rains and a thaw, which caused the water level in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers to rise significantly. For example, in the Yangtze River the water rose by 70 cm in July alone.

Flood victims, August 1931.

According to Chinese sources, about 145 thousand people died as a result of the flood, while Western sources claim that the death toll was between 3.7 million and 4 million. By the way, this was not the only flood in China caused by the waters of the Yangtze River overflowing its banks. Floods also occurred in 1911 (about 100 thousand people died), in 1935 (about 142 thousand people died), in 1954 (about 30 thousand people died) and in 1998 (3,656 people died).

3. Flood on the Yellow River, 1887 and 1938, about 900 thousand and 500 thousand dead, respectively. In 1887, heavy rain fell for many days in Henan Province, and on September 28, rising water in the Yellow River broke the dams. Soon the water reached the city of Zhengzhou, located in this province, and then spread throughout northern China, covering approximately 130,000 km². The floods left about two million people homeless in China and killed an estimated 900,000 people. And in 1938, a flood on the same river was caused by the Nationalist government in Central China at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War. This was done in order to stop Japanese troops rapidly advancing into central China. The flood was subsequently called "the largest act of environmental warfare in history." Thus, in June 1938, the Japanese took control of the entire northern part of China, and on June 6 they captured Kaifeng, the capital of Henan Province, and threatened to capture Zhengzhou, which was located near the intersection of the important Beijing-Guangzhou and Lianyungang-Xi'an railways. If the Japanese army had managed to do this, major Chinese cities such as Wuhan and Xi'an would have been under threat. In order to prevent this, the Chinese government in Central China decided to open dams on the Yellow River near the city of Zhengzhou. Water flooded the provinces of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu adjacent to the river.

Soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army during the flood on the Yellow River in 1938. The floods destroyed thousands of square kilometers of farmland and many villages. Several million people became refugees. According to initial data from China, about 800 thousand people drowned. However, these days, researchers studying the archives of the disaster claim that much fewer people died - about 400 - 500 thousand.

Refugees who appeared after the 1983 flood.

Interestingly, the value of this Chinese government strategy has been questioned. Because according to some reports, Japanese troops at that time were far from the flooded areas. Although their advance on Zhengzhou was thwarted, the Japanese took Wuhan in October.

4. Flood of St. Felix, 1530, at least 100 thousand dead. On Saturday 5 November 1530, Saint Felix de Valois's day, most of Flanders, the historical region of the Netherlands, and the province of Zealand were washed away. Researchers believe that more than 100 thousand people died. Subsequently, the day when the disaster occurred began to be called Evil Saturday.

5. Burchardi flood, 1634, about 8-15 thousand dead. On the night of October 11–12, 1634, flooding occurred in Germany and Denmark as a result of a storm surge caused by hurricane winds. That night, dams broke in several places along the North Sea coast, flooding coastal towns and communities in North Friesland.

Painting depicting the Burchardi flood.

According to various estimates, from 8 to 15 thousand people died during the flood.

Maps of North Friesland in 1651 (left) and 1240 (right). Author of both maps: Johannes Mejer.

6. Flood of St. Mary Magdalene, 1342, several thousand. In July 1342, on the feast day of the Myrrh-Bearer Mary Magdalene (the Catholic and Lutheran churches celebrate it on July 22), the largest recorded flood in Central Europe occurred. On this day, the overflowing waters of the rivers Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, Weser, Werra, Unstrut, Elbe, Vltava and their tributaries flooded the surrounding lands. Many cities, such as Cologne, Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Würzburg, Regensburg, Passau and Vienna, were seriously damaged.

According to researchers of this disaster, a long hot and dry period was followed by heavy rains that fell for several days in a row. As a result, about half of the average annual precipitation fell. And since the extremely dry soil could not quickly absorb such an amount of water, surface runoff flooded large areas of the territory. Many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people died. Although the total number of deaths is unknown, it is believed that about 6 thousand people drowned in the Danube region alone. In addition, the summer of the following year was wet and cold, so the population was left without crops and suffered greatly from hunger. And on top of everything else, the plague pandemic, which passed through Asia, Europe, North Africa and the island of Greenland (Black Death) in the mid-14th century, reached its peak in 1348-1350, taking the lives of at least a third of the population of Central Europe.

Illustration of the Black Death, 1411.

Floods are considered one of the worst natural disasters. Their consequences are significant destruction and loss of life. The most catastrophic of the largest floods in the world is considered to be the flood that occurred in China during the flood of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers in August 1931. These rivers are famous for frequent floods, which lead to tragedies.

The Yangtze is the longest river after the Nile and the Amazon (6380 km). In the lowest part of the river, the bed is higher than the surrounding area, which often leads to flooding when it overflows. The Yellow River, or Yellow River, is another, no less “capricious” river in China. This river overflows its banks so often that it is nicknamed “The Sorrow of China.”

In summer, southeast winds from the Pacific Ocean bring humid air that accumulates over China. This leads to heavy summer rains.
In 1931, the monsoon season was too stormy. River basins were attacked by heavy rains. As a result, the dams could not withstand the load and collapsed in many places.

In total, about 40 million people were affected by the flood, 333 thousand hectares of land were under water, and enormous damage was caused to crops. Lack of food, disease, and lack of housing led to the death of 3.7 million people. In some places the water did not recede for up to 6 months.

The city of Gaoyou suffered a huge catastrophic impact from the flood. On August 26, 1931, a strong typhoon hit the lake located in its vicinity. The water level was too high after previous rainstorms. The dams could not cope with the load and collapsed in six places. Huge streams of water swept through the city and villages, killing 10 thousand people. In honor of those killed in December 2003, a memorial museum was opened in Gaoyu.

189 years ago, the largest flood in the history of St. Petersburg occurred. To commemorate this event, we cover it and other of the world's deadliest floods.

Flood victims, August 1931:

Soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army during the flood on the Yellow River in 1938:

The floods destroyed thousands of square kilometers of farmland and many villages. Several million people became refugees. According to initial data from China, about 800 thousand people drowned. However, these days, researchers studying the archives of the disaster claim that much fewer people died - about 400 - 500 thousand.

Yellow River Yellow River:

Painting depicting the Burchardi flood:

According to various estimates, from 8 to 15 thousand people died during the flood.
Maps of North Friesland in 1651 (left) and 1240 (right):

According to researchers of this disaster, a long hot and dry period was followed by heavy rains that fell for several days in a row. As a result, about half of the average annual precipitation fell. And since the extremely dry soil could not quickly absorb such an amount of water, surface runoff flooded large areas of the territory. Many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people died. Although the total number of deaths is unknown, it is believed that about 6 thousand people drowned in the Danube region alone.
In addition, the summer of the following year was wet and cold, so the population was left without crops and suffered greatly from hunger. And on top of everything else, the plague pandemic, which passed through Asia, Europe, North Africa and the island of Greenland (Black Death) in the mid-14th century, reached its peak in 1348-1350, taking the lives of at least a third of the population of Central Europe.

Illustration of the Black Death, 1411: