Severe floods. The largest floods in the world. The worst flood in the world - the Flood: myth or reality

Even before the founding of St. Petersburg in 1691, the largest flood occurred in the Neva Delta. Then this territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Sweden. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 cm. Since 1703, when the city was founded, more than 300 floods were recorded (water rise more than 160 cm), 210 of them with a rise of more than 210 cm. The largest occurred in November 1824. Then the water level in the Neva and its canals rose more than 4 meters above the usual level (ordinary). According to various sources, from 200 to 600 people died. Material damage amounted to about 15-20 million rubles.

Petersburg flood of 1824, F. Ya. Alekseev. Source: wikipedia.org

1908

One of the largest floods in Moscow in April 1908. The water in the Moscow River rose by 8.9 m. The elements overcame the city until the middle of the 20th century, when the Istra, Mozhayskoye, Ruzskoye and Ozerninskoye reservoirs were built, on which the river flow was regulated. After their appearance major floods on the Moscow River stopped.

Flood of 1908. Sofia embankment. (wikipedia.org)

1972

In the summer of 1971, due to intense rains in Buryatia, a catastrophic flood occurred on the Selenga River. The water level reached almost 8 m above the ordinary. 6 districts with 57 settlements and a population of 56 thousand people were flooded. More than 3 thousand houses were destroyed, crops were flooded on an area of 73.8 thousand hectares. The damage caused amounted to $47 million.

1987

In 1987, the Chita region had to endure two floods - at the end of June and in July. The floods on the rivers of the Chita region, which arose due to heavy rains, were unusual both in the nature of the rise and intensity, and in duration and simultaneous coverage of almost all areas of the region. In general, 16 districts were flooded, including Chernyshevsk station, Bukachacha settlement and 50 villages. The flood damaged 1.5 thousand houses, 59 bridges, 149 km of roads. The damage from floods amounted to 105 million rubles.

1990

In July 1990, Typhoon Robin came to Primorsky Krai. More than two months of rain fell in a few days. On the rivers of the region, suddenly overflowing with rainwater, there was a catastrophic flood. Vladivostok, Bolshoy Kamen and the Khasansky and Nadezhdinsky districts were seriously affected by it. More than 800 thousand people ended up in the disaster zone. The flood destroyed 730 houses, 11 schools, 5 kindergartens and nurseries, 56 shops. On the roads, 26 bridges were flooded and partially destroyed. The damage amounted to 280 million rubles.

1991

A catastrophic rain flood occurred on August 1 in the Western Caucasus, when the height of the flood wave reached 5-9 m. In Sochi, 254 houses were flooded, 3 polyclinics were destroyed, dozens of enterprises and a road bridge were flooded. More than 6,000 tons of oil products spilled at an oil refinery in Tuapse. 30 people died from the storm. Only the city of Tuapse was damaged in the amount of $144 million, and the entire Krasnodar Territory - about $300 million.

1993

In June 1993, there was a breakthrough of a deaf earthen dam of the Kiselevskoye reservoir near the town of Serov, Sverdlovsk region. The flood affected 6.5 thousand people, 15 people died. The total material damage amounted to 63 billion rubles.

Flooding in the Sverdlovsk region. (wikipedia.org)

year 2001

The largest flood in the history of Yakutia occurred in May 2001. The people dubbed it the "Lena flood". The flood happened due to unprecedented ice jams on the Lena. The water level in the river exceeded the maximum flood and reached 20 meters. Already in the first days, 98% of the territory of the city of Lensk was flooded. More than 3 thousand houses were destroyed, 30.8 thousand people were injured. The total amount of damage amounted to 7 billion rubles.

2002

In the summer of 2002, in the south of Russia, due to heavy rainfall, a major flood occurred, which affected 9 regions. The Stavropol Territory suffered more than others. 377 were in the flood zone settlements. The elements destroyed more than 13 thousand houses, more than 40 thousand buildings were damaged. More than 100 people died. The total amount of damage is estimated at 16-18 billion rubles.

flood in 2002. (wikipedia.org)

2004

In April 2004 in Kemerovo region there was a flood due to a rise in the level of the local rivers Kondoma, Tom and their tributaries. More than six thousand houses were destroyed, 10 thousand people were injured, nine died. In the city of Tashtagol, located in the flood zone, and the villages closest to it, 37 pedestrian bridges, 80 kilometers of regional and 20 kilometers of municipal roads were damaged. The element also disrupted telephone communications. The damage, according to experts, amounted to 700-750 million rubles.

year 2012

On July 6-7, 2012, heavy rains in the Krasnodar Territory led to the most destructive flood in the history of the region. The main blow of the elements fell on the Krymsky region and directly on Krymsk - a city with a population of 57 thousand people. As a result of flooding in Krymsk, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 171 people died. 53 thousand people were recognized as victims of the disaster, of which 29 thousand lost their property. Over 7,000 private households and 185 apartment buildings were destroyed. Energy, gas and water supply systems, road and rail traffic were disrupted. Specialists assigned this flood the status of an outstanding one, and foreign media described it as a flash flood - sudden. The total damage from the flood is estimated at about 20 billion rubles.

Krymsk. (wikipedia.org)

year 2013

At the end of the summer of 2013, Far East a powerful flood hit, which led to the largest flood in the region in the last 115 years. It covered five subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District, the total area of flooded territories amounted to more than 8 million square meters. km.

Amurskaya Oblast. (wikipedia.org)

In total, 37 municipal districts, 235 settlements and more than 13 thousand residential buildings were flooded. More than 100 thousand people suffered. The most affected were the Amur Region, which was the first to receive the blow of the elements, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Khabarovsk Territory.

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 usual level (ordinary).

Commemorative plaque on the Raskolnikov House:

Before the flood began, it was raining in the city and a damp and cold wind was blowing. And in the evening there was a sharp rise in the water level in the channels, after which almost the entire city was flooded. The flood did not affect only the Foundry, Rozhdestvenskaya and Karetnaya parts of St. Petersburg. As a result, the 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. Commemorative plaques have been erected in memory of many floods in the city (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 Vasilyevsky Island.

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 the Swedish chronicles. According to some reports, that year the water level in the Neva reached 762 centimeters.

2.

About 145 thousand - 4 million dead. From 1928 to 1930, China suffered from a severe drought. But at the end of the winter of 1930, severe snowstorms began, and in the spring - incessant torrential rains and thaw, due to which the water level in the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers rose significantly. For example, in the Yangtze River in July alone, the water rose by 70 cm.

According to Chinese sources, about 145,000 people died as a result of the flood, at the same time, Western sources claim that the death toll was from 3.7 million to 4 million.

By the way, this was not the only flood in China caused by the overflowing waters of the Yangtze River. 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). Counts largest natural disaster in recorded human history.

Flood victims, August 1931:

3. Flooding on the Yellow River, 1887 and 1938

About 900 thousand and 500 thousand dead, respectively. In 1887, heavy rains fell for many days in Henan province, and on September 28, rising water in the Yellow River broke through the dams. Soon, the water reached the city of Zhengzhou, located in this province, and then spread throughout the northern part of China, covering approximately 130,000 square kilometers. Because of the flood, about two million people in China were left homeless, and about 900,000 people died.

And in 1938, a flood on the same river was provoked by the Nationalist government in Central China at the start of the Sino-Japanese War. This was done in order to stop the Japanese troops advancing rapidly into the central part of China. The flood has subsequently been 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 succeeded in doing this, such large Chinese cities as Wuhan and Xi'an would be 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.

The floods destroyed thousands of square kilometers of agricultural land and many villages. Several million people became refugees. According to China's initial figures, about 800,000 people drowned. However, nowadays researchers studying the archives of the disaster claim that many less people- about 400 - 500 thousand.

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

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

5 Burchardy's Flood, 1634

About 8-15 thousand dead. On the night of October 11/12, 1634, Germany and Denmark were flooded as a result of a storm surge caused by hurricane winds. This night in several places along the coast North Sea dams broke, water flooded the coastal towns and communities of North Frisia.

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

Maps of North Frisia in 1651 (left) and 1240 (right):

6. The flood of St. Mary Magdalene, 1342

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

On this day, the waters of the rivers Rhine, Mosel, 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 severely damaged.

In addition, the next summer was wet and cold, so the population was left without a harvest and suffered greatly from hunger. And to everything else, the plague pandemic that took place in the middle of the XIV century in Asia, Europe, North Africa and the island of Greenland (the Black Death), 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:

History remembers several of the most terrible floods; such natural disasters have also occurred on the territory of Russia, including in St. Petersburg. Several devastating floods occurred in the 20th century.

The worst floods in history

In historical chronicles, one can read about the many severe floods that claimed several hundred thousand human lives. Due to the fact that such natural disasters occur unexpectedly, people are unprepared for them.

Some floods are due to flooding of rivers, bursting of dams, incessant rains, oceanic earthquakes and tsunamis. It is known about the floods that were provoked by people intentionally.

Flood of Saint Mary Magdalene

One of the most devastating floods occurred in 1342. It is considered the largest in Central Europe. Several rivers came out of their banks at once: the Rhine, Weser, Main, Mosel, Werra, Elbe, etc. Having flooded the surrounding lands, the water harmed such large European cities as Cologne, Passau, Vienna, Regensburg, Frankfurt am Main.

The reason was the heavy rains that had been going on for several days. The exact number of those who drowned is unknown, we can say that there were several thousand people. This natural disaster was called the flood of St. Mary Magdalene.

Flood Burchardi

More than eight thousand human lives were claimed by the flood that occurred in 1634 in Denmark and Germany. Due to the hurricane wind, a storm surge of water began, which led to the breakthrough of the dam in several places at once off the coast of the North Sea.

The communities of North Frisia and many coastal towns were flooded. This flood is called the Burchardi flood.

Floods on the Yellow River

As you know, the Yellow River is one of the most capricious rivers in China. It is famous for its frequent floods, and more than once its waters have claimed many human lives. The largest floods of the Yellow River occurred in 1887 and 1938.

In 1887, after heavy rains there have been multiple dam failures. Due to flooding, almost two million people lost their homes, nine hundred thousand people died. In 1938, the Nationalist government was provoked by a flood to stop Japanese troops from advancing on China. Many villages were destroyed, thousands of hectares of agricultural land were destroyed, almost five hundred thousand people drowned, millions became refugees.

The most terrible floods of the twentieth century

In the 20th century, unfortunately, there were also floods. One of them happened in China in 1931 on a river called the Yangtze. According to rough estimates, about four million people died. This flood after the Flood is considered the most severe. Four million houses were demolished, three hundred thousand square kilometers were covered with water.

In 1970, a severe flood occurred in the Ganges Delta in India. It claimed the lives of five hundred thousand people. It was caused by the waters of the Kosi River and torrential monsoon rains. By breaking the dam, the waters of Kosi changed course and flooded a vast region that had never before been subject to flooding.

In 1927, a flood occurred in America, called the "Great". The waters of the Mississippi overflowed due to heavy rains. Flooding affected the territory of ten states, reaching a depth of ten meters in some places. In order not to flood New Orleans, it was decided to blow up a dam near the city. As a result, other territories were flooded. About five hundred thousand people died.

At the end of April 1991, the devastating cyclone Marian raised a nine-meter wave off the coast of Bangladesh. The result of the flood was the death of one hundred and forty thousand people. Lands flooded with salt water became unsuitable for agriculture for many years.

Floods in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg suffered from floods quite often. The city was flooded at least three hundred and thirty times. In different areas, you can see commemorative plaques on houses showing the water level. There are about twenty such tablets.

In 1691, even before the foundation of St. Petersburg, when the territory of the city was under the Swedes, it was also flooded by the waters of the Neva. This is evidenced by the Swedish chronicles, according to which the water level in the river rose to a mark of seven hundred and sixty-two centimeters.

Most terrible flood happened in 1824. According to various estimates, from two hundred to six hundred thousand citizens died as a result. It is known that the water level in the Neva has risen by more than four meters. Many houses were destroyed and flooded. Before the flood, heavy rain began, followed by a sharp rise in water.

The worst flood in the world - the Flood: myth or reality

Not only the Bible tells about the Flood, many peoples living in almost all parts of the planet have similar descriptions of the terrible flood. The flood can be read in the myths of the Indians of California, it is told in ancient Mexican manuscripts, the myths of the Canadian Indians. It is known about the Japanese "variant" of the flood. Quite rarely, manuscripts found in the interior of Africa and Asia, which are located at a considerable distance from the oceans and seas, report about it.

It can be concluded that many legends about the flood are associated with some local phenomena that led to a sharp rise in the water level. Scientists express several versions of the occurrence of a powerful flood. Most likely the so-called global flood took place in different parts of the Earth, was in each region its own and on different continents had its own causes.

Floods bring giant waves with them. .
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189 years ago, the largest flood in the history of St. Petersburg occurred. In memory of this event, we talk about it and other deadliest floods in the world.

1. Petersburg flood, 1824

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 usual level (ordinary).

Commemorative plaque on the Raskolnikov House:

Before the flood began, it was raining in the city and a damp and cold wind was blowing. And in the evening there was a sharp rise in the water level in the channels, after which almost the entire city was flooded. The flood did not affect only the Foundry, 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.

2. Flood in China, 1931

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

According to Chinese sources, about 145,000 people died as a result of the flood, at the same time, Western sources claim that the death toll was from 3.7 million to 4 million.

By the way, this was not the only flood in China caused by the overflowing waters of the Yangtze River. 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). Considered the largest natural disaster in recorded human history.

Flood victims, August 1931:

3. Flooding on the Yellow River, 1887 and 1938

About 900,000 and 500,000 died, respectively. In 1887, heavy rains fell for many days in Henan province, and on September 28, rising water in the Yellow River broke through dams. Soon, the water reached the city of Zhengzhou, located in this province, and then spread throughout the northern part of China, covering approximately 130,000 square kilometers. Because of the flood, about two million people in China were left homeless, and about 900,000 people died.

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-Xian railways. If the Japanese army succeeded in doing this, such large Chinese cities as Wuhan and Xi'an would be under threat.

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

Yellow Yellow River:

4. The flood of St. Felix, 1530

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