Floods

Flooding is worsening with climate change and urban growth. Learn what causes floods, their impacts, and how to build resilience.

Challenge Introduction

Floods are among the most common and devastating natural disasters worldwide. As climate patterns shift and urbanization expands, communities face increasing risks from both sudden and long-term flooding events. What causes floods? How do they relate to the water cycle and climate change? And what can we do to better prepare for, prevent, and recover from them? 

In this challenge, you’ll dive into the science behind flooding - from its causes and impacts to the solutions to stay resilient. You’ll explore real-world case studies, examine both structural and sustainable prevention strategies, and uncover the growing role of climate change in intensifying floods. 

By understanding how floods work and how we respond to them, you’ll be empowered to think critically about global risk management, urban planning, and environmental sustainability. 

Learning Goals

  • Understand the definition, types, and causes of flooding
  • Investigate the social, environmental, and economic impacts of flooding
  • Analyze the link between climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of floods
  • Explore the relationship between the water cycle and flooding
  • Examine flood prevention and management strategies, including sustainable solutions
  • Lean how communities respond to and recover from flood disasters

The Basics of Flooding

One of the most common natural hazards, flooding, is often a powerful and unpredictable natural phenomenon. In this section, you’ll also delve into the science behind how floods develop, spread, and the factors that influence their intensity and duration. Understanding these core concepts is crucial for appreciating the effects of flooding, and the strategies used in flood prevention and mitigation. Let’s start by uncovering the foundational aspects of flooding and the forces that make it such a significant natural event.
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What is Flooding?

Read • 2 mins

The Water Cycle & Flooding

Understanding the natural causes of flooding is crucial towards realizing both the impacts of flooding on the environment, as well as the impact of climate change towards the water cycle.

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Water Cycle

Read • 1 min

Climate Change & Flooding

Flooding is worsening with climate change and urban growth. Learn what causes floods, their impacts, and how to build resilience.

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Flood Prevention & Management

​Flood prevention and management are essential to protect communities, ecosystems, and economies from the devastating impacts of flooding. Effective strategies encompass structural measures, non-structural approaches, and sustainable practices that work together to mitigate flood risks. This lesson explores these strategies, highlighting how they contribute to comprehensive flood risk management.

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Flood Response & Recovery

Flood response & recovery refers to the actions taken immediately after a flood to ensure safety, provide aid, and restore normalcy to the community. Such actions are crucial towards saving lives, minimizing damage, and helping build resilient communities. This lesson explores the immediate responses to floods and how a community can better take action in such a manner.
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Earn your rewards

Show what you have learned:

  • Understand the definition, types, and causes of flooding
  • Explore the relationship between the water cycle and flooding
  • Investigate the social, environmental, and economic impacts of flooding
  • Examine flood prevention and management strategies, including sustainable solutions