Most Devastating Floods From Around The World

Johnstown Flood, 1889

Image Source: The Washington Post

In May of 1889 a dam in Pennsylvania's Lake Conemaugh collapsed and was washed away following a period of heavy downfall. This caused over 15 million tonnes of water turn into a 40ft high wave of water and debris that crushed 1000's of buildings and killed more than 2000 people.

The Central China Flood, 1931

Image Source: The China Project

During the summer of 1931, horrific rainfall, snow melting and numerous storms all combined, flooding China in one of the worst floods ever. The Yangtze, Huai and Yellow rivers all burst and flooded an area larger than the size of the entire UK. It's believed that all in all, the flooding and following issues caused over 3 million deaths.

The Indus River Valley, 1841

Image Source: Bradt Guides

During the year of 1841, an earthquake caused a landslide on the peak of a Himalayan mountain in Pakistan. This blocked off the flow of the Indus river which ended up breaking up and causing flood waves over 100ft high. Although records are sketchy on the number of deaths, whole villages were wiped out.

The Grote Mandrenke, 1362

Image Source: Reddit

This flood didn't just affect one country, but it affected the whole continent of Europe! The Grote Mandrenke or Great Drowning of Men caused damage across European countries like the UK, Netherlands and Denmark, potentially killing over 100,000 people; this number can't be confirmed however.

The Mississippi River, 1927

Image Source: Blackpast

As with most floods, unrelenting rain caused this one; the Mississippi River swelled and then burst, covering over 16 million acres of land spanning across seven different states. Mississippi itself was heavily damaged and over 1 million people had to be evacuated from their homes (250 people also lost their lives).

The Arno River, 1966

Image Source: Hotel Palazzo Guado

When the Arno River overflowed in November of 1966 over 18 billion gallons of water filled with mud and debris covered the streets of Florence. Millions of dollars worth of Renaissance artwork was submerged and thousands of people were displaced. Teams have somehow managed to rescue some of the priceless artwork in the decades since.

The Yellow River Bombing, 1938

Image Source: History Hit

During the Second Sino Japanese War, Chinese troops destroyed the banks of the Yellow River in an attempt to slow Japanese forces. Instead what they managed to do was flood 21,000 sqm of land, displace 4 million citizens and the deaths of nearly 1,000,000 people as a result of drowning, disease and famine.

The Banqiao Dam, 1975

Image Source: Reddit

In 1975, Typhoon Nina hit Henan China and crumbled the Banqiao Dam, alongside over 50 smaller dams. These breaks ended up causing a death toll potentially reaching 250,000 people and affecting more than 10 million people in some form or another. 6 million homes were destroyed.

The North Sea Flood, 1953

Image Source: All That's Interesting

During this flood, sea defences were ruined and widespread flooding covered the UK IN England and Scotland (up to 19 ft above sea level). Nearly 1000 miles of coastline was ruined, more than 150,000 acres of land were submerged and around $1.5billion of damage in the current economy.

The Galveston Hurricane, 1900

Image Source: NPR

In September of 1900, The Great Galveston Hurricane reached the land of Texas and has become known as the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States. Eyewitness accounts claimed that the water level rose over a meter in less than 30 seconds and much of the area was destroyed.

Great Flood Of Paris, 1910

Image Source: Mashable

During the winter of 1910, Paris was battered by heavy rainfall that caused the Seine River water level to rise over 8 meters. Thousands of Parisians had to evacuate their homes as as water began infiltrating homes and the metro tunnels. The city was brought to a standstill until the water levels lowered again.

The Mississippi River (Again), 1993

Image Source: AccuWeather

Yep, the Mississippi River was at fault for a second major to flood that caused damage to the Midwest. Alongside the Missouri River, overflowing led to 17 million acres of land were submerged and 50 lives were taken. Over $20billion worth of damage was caused with 10,000 homes destroyed.

The Vargas Flood, 1999

Image Source: South China Morning Post

Torrential rain caused some flash floods to form within the coastal city of Vargas in Venezuela. The floods caused horrific mudslides which all resulted in the deaths of up to 30,000 people. Around 60 miles of the Venezuela coastline was destroyed and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

European Flooding, 2002

Image Source: New Scientist

During the summer of 2002, Europe suffered from some heavy downfall, and then catastrophic flooding. This covered countries like Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic (who suffered the most damage). Prague lost over 100 lives and that water damage cost them around $13billion in damages.

Yangtze River Floods, 2010

Image Source: Weather Underground

China obviously has a huge number of issues regarding flooding and in 2010 catastrophic floods wreaked havoc across the country. It's believed the floods caused over 1000 lives to be lost, hundreds of thousands of people to lose their homes and over $25billion in damages.

Yangtze River, 2020

Image Source: The Guardian

Chinese floods are becoming somewhat of an annual problem, and in 2020 the Yangtze river overflowed again, causing 150 people to lose their lives. Over 2 million people were evacuated and damages were rumoured to come to around $8billion. The authorities had to explode parts of the dam to release the pressure.

Queensland Flooding, 2010

Image Source: Redland City Bulletin

Between 2010 and 2011 Australia, particularly Queensland were overwhelmed by heavy rainfall; up to 24in in some areas. 22 towns were almost completely submerged and 200,000 people were made to evacuate their homes, many of which were destroyed. Around $400million was used to help recover.

The North Indian Monsoon

Image Source: The Atlantic

During 2013, North India suffered from some heavy rainfall which led to flooding and landslides which lead to the deaths of over 5000 people and 60,000 people being left stranded. Whole roads and cities were ruined and 100,000 people had to flee their home towns.

The Boxing Day Tsunami, 2004

Image Source: Reddit

Following a huge 9.1 earthquake off of Indonesia, a Tsunami with waves up to 100m high devastated communities on the coast of the Indian Ocean killing more than 200,000 people. The water hit the surface with the strength of more than the two atomic bombs used during WW2. In fact more than all explosives in the whole of the war.

Pakistan and Indian Monsoon, 2014

Image Source: Climate Home News

Just a year after the 2013 monsoon, India suffered another, much worse natural disaster. The flooding was the worst in the region for more than half a century and thousands of civilians were trapped in buildings and hundreds killed. 2.5 million people were forced to evacuate their homes.

Kerala Rainfall, 2018

Image Source: The Guardian

The southern state of Kerala, India suffered its worst flooding in more than a century in 2018; all 44 of its rivers were bombarded with heavy rainfall and overflowed causing landslides. More than 400 people were killed and $4.3billion worth of damages had to be fixed.

Venice's High Tides, 2019

Image Source: Scientific American Blog

Venice has been getting used to higher water levels in recent decades, but in 2019 the highest tide in more than 50 years submerged the city. Officials claimed that 85% of the city was flooded and they had to build a number of platforms to help people move around.

German Floods, 2021

In 2021, Germany suffered its biggest natural disaster since the 1962 North Sea flooding. Although originally it appeared that more than 1000 people had gone missing, 184 actually ended up losing their lives. Many people were left unable to be contacted due to the amount of people left without power.

Henan Floods, 2021

Image Source: Love Exploring

Yet another shocking flood in China occured in 2021 when a whole year's worth of rainfall for the area fell in just three days! Almost 500 train passengers were trapped in the subway and 200,000 people had to evacuate. In all, nearly 400 people were known to have lost their lives to the floods.

Quito Landslides, 2022

Image Source: Reddit

At the start of 2022, the capital of Ecuador suffered more rainfall in a week than it had in the previous two years combined. This led to landslides and waves up to 3m high sweeping away houses. 24 people were known to have died and residents were forced to evacuate to local cities.

Eastern Australia Floods, 2022

Image Source: Reddit

Across a period of just over a single day in early 2022, 700mm of rain fell which led to some brutal flooding; 17 people were killed and large sections of Brisbane were submerged in floodwater. Scientists believe that the problems here were worsened by climate change.

Cuba Floods, 2022

Image Source: Digital Journal

Over a 48 hour period, heavy rainfall fell in cuba and in Havana more than 2000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and much of the surrounding area lost all electricity. Waist deep water covered Havana and it's believed this all resulted due to Hurricane Agatha that was sweepin through the Caribbean.

Kentucky Floods, 2022

Image Source: The New York Times

The Appalachia region of Kentucky became overwhelmed with rainfall in 2022 , it saw 10in of rainfall in just 24 hours. Houses ended up being washed away and bridges escaping the area were completely destroyed. Mining operations have been suggested to be partly responsible for the flooding.

Pakistan Floods, 2022

Image Source: Nature

Pakistan has been suffering in the past year with monsoon rains bombarding the nation, claiming more than 900 lives. 2.3 million people were displaced and more than 100,000 homes have been ruined. Almost 2000 miles of road have also been destroyed meaning travel has been difficult.

Nigerian Floods, 2022

Image Source: Reddit

Nigeria's reservoirs have overfilled and caused horrendous flooding; more than 200,000 people have been displaced and 600 (likely more) have lost their lives. The Niger River has also overflowed and as a result water-borne diseases have been spiking in numbers across the country.