Unprecedented Rainfall and Major Flooding Around the World

[Ca.]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Published on Mar 8, 2017

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Scaffolding has been placed to support the work being done under the lip of the damaged Oroville Dam spillway. Photo taken on March 5, 2017. (Kelly M. Grow/California Department of Water Resources)

The California Report Oroville Update: Flows Resume Through Power Plant; Debris Removal Continues
March 6, 2017
_https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/07/engineers-assess-spillway-problem-at-oroville-dam/
Snippet:

Update, 4:35 p.m. Monday, March 6: The Department of Water Resources reopened the Oroville Dam hydroelectric plant at about 6 p.m. Sunday — after suspending operations for 32 hours to allow crews to deepen the river channel downstream of the plant.

As of Monday afternoon, just one of the plant’s five available turbines was running, resulting in a release of about 1,750 cubic feet per second. The water agency hopes to get all five units running soon, which would increase outflow from Lake Oroville to somewhere in the range of 13,000 to 14,000 cfs (DWR has cited both figures).

The reason the esoteric water release data is important: Higher flows through the powerhouse will allow the agency to limit the reservoir’s rise as work continues on assessing the devastated main spillway and clearing debris from the river channel, formally known as the Thermalito Diversion Pool, below the shattered concrete structure.

Photo Gallery: What’s Left of Oroville Dam’s Shattered Spillway 3-6-17
_https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/28/photo-gallery-whats-left-of-oroville-dams-shattered-spillway/

An aerial view of the damaged Oroville Dam spillway after the California Department of Water Resources gradually reduced the outflow from the spillway from 50,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to zero on Feb. 27, 2017. The reduction allows work to begin to remove debris at the spillway’’s base and reduce water surface elevation in the diversion pool at the Butte County site. Photo taken Feb. 27, 2017. Dale Kolke / California Department of Water Resources

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

California water officials, still struggling with fixes at Oroville Dam, will have to temporarily shut down the pumping station that delivers water to much of Southern California and Silicon Valley after discovering damage at another key state reservoir.

Just weeks after Oroville Dam crisis, damage found in another key California reservoir
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article138528578.html

March 14, 2017 - California water officials, still struggling with fixes at Oroville Dam, will have to temporarily shut down the pumping station that delivers water to much of Southern California and Silicon Valley after discovering damage at another key state reservoir.

The state Department of Water Resources confirmed Tuesday that operators discovered damage to the intake structure at the Clifton Court Forebay, a nearly two-mile-wide reservoir that stores water for the State Water Project pumping plant in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta near Tracy. Repairs will begin Wednesday. It’s not clear how long they will last.

However, state officials said State Water Project customers won’t lose any water deliveries.

“This is not an emergency of any kind,” said Doug Carlson, a spokesman for the Department of Water Resources. “The water is going to continue to flow to contractors.”

Clifton Court is a crucial piece of the State Water Project’s plumbing. Water stored in the forebay is piped to the nearby pumping station, where it’s delivered to 19 million residents of Southern California, portions of Silicon Valley and about 750,000 acres of farmland in the Central Valley. A third of Southern California’s drinking water typically flows from the Delta pumps.

Ted Page, board president of the Kern County Water Agency, one of the chief agricultural customers of the SWP, said he was told the state will deliver water from the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County while repairs are being made at Clifton Court. Page said he’s been told the shipments from San Luis should be enough to meet customer demands while repairs are underway.

San Luis Reservoir, jointly owned by the SWP and the federal government’s Central Valley Project, is 99 percent full with a little more than 2 million acre-feet in storage. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons.

“San Luis is full, completely full,” said Page, who farms in Kern County. “And I think the period of time they’re talking about to do the repairs won’t be a big deal.”

The state also could ask the federal government to help pipe water to Southern California through the state-run California Aqueduct by using the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s pumping facility. Though it’s only about half as powerful as the state pumping facility and has its own set of contractor demands, the federal pumping station is located near the state’s facilities at the south end of the Delta. The federal system can connect to the California Aqueduct through a connector canal.

The shutdown, while unfortunate, at least comes in winter when demand is relatively low, said Debra Man, assistant general manager of the Metropolitian Water District of Southern California, the massive water wholesaler that supplies nearly half the state’s population.

“This is a perfect time for them to really go in ... and make the necessary repairs,” she said.

The damage at the Clifton Court Forebay likely stems from heavy use of its intake structure, according to a DWR statement to The Sacramento Bee. Near-record rainfall this winter resulted in high river flows in the Delta, which prompted state officials to crank up the pumps to move water south after five-plus years of drought.

“They were pumping at a higher rate than even what the pumps are rated for in my old blue book of the State Water Project,” said Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis.

The problem at Clifton Court comes barely a month after a near catastrophe struck Lake Oroville, the SWP’s primary reservoir.

A giant fracture developed in Oroville Dam’s main spillway, prompting a temporary shutdown of the structure during a heavy storm. Five days later, water flowed over the dam’s emergency spillway for the first time, nearly causing the hillside below to fail. Approximately 188,000 downstream residents were evacuated for two days.

Dam operators averted disaster by ramping up outflows from the damaged main spillway, which lowered lake levels and arrested the flow of water over the faulty emergency spillway. The main spillway has been shut down for two weeks for temporary repairs, but is expected to resume water releases Friday as spring snowmelt increases inflow into the reservoir.

Temporary repairs to Oroville Dam have cost $100 million through the end of February, Nancy Vogel, a spokeswoman for the California Natural Resources Agency, said Tuesday.

It’s not clear yet what it will cost to repair the damage in Clifton Court’s intake structure, which consists of five 20-by-20-foot radial gates that take water from the Old River. Work started on the forebay in 1967 and was completed in 1969.

Oroville Dam was completed in 1968.

“Everybody is facing the fact that the infrastructure is beginning to age,” said Man of Metropolitan.

Gov. Jerry Brown has estimated that California needs to spend tens of billions of dollars shoring up its water infrastructure. He’s asked the Legislature to authorize spending $437 million on short-term flood safety needs.

“This infrastructure system needs improvement,” said Robert Bea, a retired engineer at UC Berkeley. “We’re reactive. We wait until the thing fails.”

 

[Ca.]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

The first Vid goes over the incoming atmospheric rivers of rain, starting Monday.

Also Seepage, is being reported at the Orville earthen dam according to the second Vid.
But his feed keeps dropping.
_http://icecream.me/uploads/4ae4350ce27bc296db129dce9a9e7dd4.png - 20:24 France/ 12:25 pm Cal. USA

Rounds of Rain are Returning to California & West Coast USA and Canada
Published on Mar 17, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndgWffBrBeE

The endless waves of storms are returning to troubled California after a very short break due to a high pressure system that sat over Cali like a guard dog keeping out all moisture.
That will not be the case starting MArch 20th - the 25th

REAKING NEWS OROVILLE DAM Lake SPILLWAY SHOKING INFORMATION 3-17-17 / 18:00 +
Streamed live 28 minutes ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28u0dhtwED8
supporting links of Inspection:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/docu...
https://www.documentcloud.org/documen...
https://shastalantern.net/2017/03/oro...

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

The death toll from powerful floods in Peru that occurred in over a dozen of the country's regions has reached 75 with more than 260 being injured, local media reported Sunday citing state emergencies authorities report.

Death Toll From Peru Floods Reaches 75, Over 260 Injured
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201703201051752895-peru-floods-75-killed/

RCN broadcaster reported that 263 people were injured with 20 others missing. The floods have destroyed 12,000 houses, 25 schools and eight health facilities, as well as 2,000 kilometers of roads.

On Friday, President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has announced that about $766 million would be allocated to restore the country.

The floods, caused by the El Nino phenomenon, hit 20 out of Peru’s 25 regions. They have also reportedly led to an outbreak of the Dengue fever, affecting over 1,200 people.

The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a cycle of warm and cold temperatures of the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The warm phase of ENSO is called "El Nino," while the cool phase is referred to as "La Nina."

The El Nino phenomenon occurs at irregular intervals, every two to seven years.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

At least 93 people died as a result of a landslide in the town of Mocoa in Columbia, local police said on Saturday.

River Overflows, Landslide Kill Over 90 in Colombia's Mocoa (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704011052197143-colombia-mocoa-landslide-victims/

Some 180 were reportedly injured and 200 went missing. The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Saturday.

According to the Noticias Caracol broadcaster, heavy rains in the country led to rivers bursting their banks, flooding hundreds of homes with mud in the city of Mocoa in Putumayo province, bordering Ecuador and Peru.

Mocoa is the capital of the Putumayo province. The city was populated by some 42,000 people as of 2015. A state of emergency was declared. Some 2,500 people including 800 police officers and 1,400 soldiers are working on the scene. A rescue plane has been sent to the area. The landslide totally destroyed three districts and severely affected 14 others.

"The houses were erased in practically 17 neighbourhoods," mayor Jose Antonio Castro said.

With pain, I regret the passing of compatriots, in an avalanche last night in Mocoa, Putumayo. I travel this morning to the area, President Juan Manuel Santos wrote.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

At least 93 people died as a result of a landslide in the town of Mocoa in Columbia, local police said on Saturday.

River Overflows, Landslide Kill Over 90 in Colombia's Mocoa (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704011052197143-colombia-mocoa-landslide-victims/

Update:

The death toll of massive landslide that in Colombia continues to grow, with country's President Juan Manuel Santos announcing that over 250 people were killed.

Death Toll of Massive Landslide in Colombia Rises to 254, President Santos Says
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704021052202389-colombia-landslide-254-killed/

Heavy rains in the country led to rivers bursting their banks, flooding hundreds of homes with mud in the city of Mocoa, bordering Ecuador and Peru. The landslide totally destroyed three districts and severely affected 14 others.


Another landslide here:

A landslide caused by excessive rain has killed at least 24 people on the south side of Java, Indonesia's main island.

Landslide Buries Dozens in Indonesia
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201704021052201742-landslide-kills-dozens-java-indonesia/

Farmers working on a hillside harvesting ginger were dragged downhill and buried in the sudden onslaught. According to Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the Banaran ­village in the Ponorogo district of East Java ­was affected, causing some 27 people and more 30 homes to be buried, according to the South China Morning Post.

A local military official, however, has warned that almost 40 are now considered missing.

Nugroho stated that emergency teams have been joined by rescuers from the army, police and local volunteers, combing the area for survivors. Bystanders and thrill seekers from surrounding regions have hampered rescue efforts, he added.

Earlier, the Disaster Mitigation Agency had evacuated people from at-risk areas after concerns that mudslides would occur following the heavy rains. Many who have been affected by the tragedy had recently returned to their homes.


More deaths due to flooding:

At least two people were killed amid flooding in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state, one of them in the Hunter Region, media report.

At Least Two Killed by Australian Floods
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201704011052183828-two-killed-australia-floods/

A 64-year-old woman died when her car was swept away in the region on Friday, while another woman’s body was found on Friday morning in floodwaters in the north of NSW, Sky News Australia said on Friday citing police.

At least 20,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in NSW and Queensland amid floods, caused by Cyclone Debbie.

The storm hit Australia's Queensland state on Tuesday. Thousands of households remain without power.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Floods in north-western provinces of Iran claimed the lives of at least 40 people, local media reported on Saturday, citing the country's Crisis Management Organization.

Floods in Iranian North-Western Provinces Kill at Least 40 People
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201704161052678699-fllods-iran-north-west-provinces/

Severe flooding was caused by torrential rains that started on Friday in the provinces of East and West Azarbaijan, Kurdistan and Zanjan, the Tasnim news agency reported.

As a result of the floods, 35 people were reportedly killed in East Azarbaijan province, with 17 out of them being carried away in the cars by waters and later found dead by rescuers. Landslides caused by the flood killed four people in Saqqez town and one person in the city of Baneh of the Kurdistan province, the news agency specified.

Search and rescue operations are underway in the areas affected by the floods with the assistance of military and law enforcement authorities, the news agency said.

More than 1,500 people were evacuated in Uruguay in connection with floods, the country’s National Emergencies System (SINAE) informs.

Nearly 1,700 People Evacuated in Uruguay Amid Floods
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704141052628214-1700-evacuated-uruguay-floods/

Almost 1,700 people have been evacuated in Uruguay’s Artigas Department amid heavy flooding, the SINAE informs.

"… the total number of people displaced in that department currently stands at 1,675. Of this total, 645 have been evacuated and 1,030 have self-evacuated," SINAE said in a Thursday update.

According to SINAE, the level of the Cuareim (Quarai) River continues to fall, currently the water is at 8.8 meters (about 29 feet), almost 3 meters (10 feet) less than the Wednesday level.

All the people who have been evacuated amid flooding, which started as heavy rains caused the river to burst its banks, are currently housed at 15 temporary shelters, according to SINAE.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Damage to California's Oroville Dam concrete spillway this week has forced state engineers to consider alternatives to release water as new storms come into the Northern California region.

Frantic efforts to assess damage at major California dam as new storm system arrives (Video)
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/09/concrete-erosion-at-major-california-dam-spillway-as-new-storm-system-arrives.html

The citizen's of Oroville are not very happy with their Congressman and lack of answers for the default of the spillway?

Congressman Walks Off Stage During Oroville Town Hall (Video)
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/04/17/doug-lamalfa-oroville-town-hall/

The boos and shouts of displeasure started during the introduction of Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) at his town hall meeting in Oroville.

For nearly two hours, the crowd at the State Theater shouted down responses by the congressman.

“I’m appalled,” said Linda Agee, a LaMalfa supporter. “It’s very enlightening and disturbing to experience this first hand,” said Denise Culley, who was attending her first town hall event.

The Oroville Dam and spillway was brought up just once. One man asked a question about why nothing was done sooner to the emergency spillway. LaMalfa’s answer was cut short by the crowd.

“Had we not had the main spillway problem, we wouldn’t even be talking about the emergency spillway. So yeah, something should have been done to have the concrete anchored below,” said LaMalfa.

Packed Town Hall Crowd Greets Rep. Tom McClintock For Nearly 3-Hour Marathon. But the disruptions and yelling continued.

“Do you yell at church?” LaMalfa asked the crowd at one point. That comment was met with intense booing and shouts of “Do you lie in church?”

After fielding several questions and hearing comments on a range of issues, LaMalfa moved on to healthcare where he struggled through a PowerPoint presentation. His narration was hard to follow as shouts continued from the crowd.

At one point. the congressman walked off stage, returning a few moments later to finish his presentation amidst the noise.

“You can disagree, but you can be decent to each other,” said Agee.

Many supporters left upset, while others say it was more of the same rhetoric from LaMalfa.

“He really didn’t care what everyone thought. He had a closed mind,” said Culley.

As the crowd yelled through each response. A 16-year-old high school student offered his perspective.

“I think the immaturity is astounding,” said Greyson Reynolds.

Reynolds is an Oroville High School junior. He says he was at Monday’s meeting to thank LaMalfa for holding a similar Q & A at his high school. The atmosphere according to Reynolds was much different.

“Night and day. It’s hard to believe that these people are grown adults and those people, the people at my high school are children. You’d think it was the opposite,” said Reynolds.

LaMalfa is holding another town hall at Sequoia Middle School in Redding on Wednesday at 5:30pm. He’ll be heading back to Washington early next week.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Published on Apr 25, 2017

PAUL PRESTON and one of the nation’s leading dam expert Scott Cahill visit Oroville Dam. The visit revealed a major leak in the dam wall above the Hyatt Power Plant. The green area in the dam wall is very wet and is porting water from behind the dam. Sources close to Agenda 21 Radio went to the area on the dam and after an examination of the leak and the embankment material including vegetation speciation reported the leak is a major concern the Department of Water Resources is NOT reporting to the public and if not addressed could lead to catastrophic dam failure.

Sound during the interview with Scott Cahill at the spillway is low due to technical difficulties. All references to water flows are expressed in cubic feet / second (csf).

OROVILLE DAM LEAK! MAJOR LEAK AT DAM DETECTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_haa91gcGjw (14:13 min.)

 

[Ca.]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

From MrMBB333 UT Chan............

http://<iframe width="560" height="...lI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Edit: Added:
http://icecream.me/uploads/0cae18d13706d9dd485cbb44e39b3ff0.png
Source: Network for Lightning and Thunderstorms in Real Time
http://en.blitzortung.org/live_lightning_maps.php?map=31
http://en.blitzortung.org/live_lightning_maps.php?map=30

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Swollen rivers have caused severe damage in Missouri, Arkansas and other US states. Five Missourians have been killed, as have at least seven Arkansans, including an 18-month-old girl who is presumed dead after she was swept away by floodwater.

Cities Submerged: Swollen Rivers Flood the US Mid-South (Photos - Video)
https://sputniknews.com/environment/201705041053291447-swollen-rivers-swallow-midsouth-cities/

​Damage has also spilled into neighboring states like Illinois and Tennessee. Since the flooding began on the weekend, more than 20 people have died.

​Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has deployed 100 members of the National Guard as well as 25 guard vehicles to fight the floods and rescue those endangered by floodwater. Numerous levees throughout the state have been breached, he said.

"This is the most extensive flooding in an urban area that I've ever seen as governor," said Hutchinson as he declared a state of emergency. More than 500 people have been evacuated throughout Arkansas.

The US Coast Guard has halted water traffic along a 14.5 mile stretch of the Mississippi River. US Highway 63 has also been shut down in Arkansas' Lawrence County after floods from the Black River breached nine levees and forced an evacuation of the city of Pocahontas (population 6,500).

"We're surrounded by water," Portia Mayor Kelly Duckworth told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "The water is rising one foot an hour. We don't know what to expect."

Towns fewer than 30 miles from St. Louis like West Alton (population 522) and Eureka (population 10,189) have experienced severe flooding of their own. While the former was evacuated, the latter managed to avoid major flooding damage through the use of 250,000 sandbags. Eureka was badly damaged in a December 2015 incident, but the city has learned its lesson about flood safety.

​More than 100 highways around St. Louis and 270 roads throughout Missouri are closed, according to the state Department of Transportation.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

A man and his two-year-old son were swept away by heavy rains in Quebec that swelled rivers and caused the province’s worst flooding in decades.

Quebec Under Siege by Worst Flooding in Decades (Photos)
https://sputniknews.com/environment/201705081053396153-quebec-heavy-rain-severe-flooding/

Quebec police say that the man was driving with his wife and their son on Sunday night when the car swerved into the Riviere Sainte-Anne. The family climbed onto the top of the car to escape, but choppy waters flipped the car and sent them into the floodwater.

​The woman only escaped by grabbing a tree branch, said Sergeant Claude Doironthe to reporters. The other two were still missing as of Monday. Dozens of police officers are patrolling the riverbanks in search of the father and toddler, but the weather has made helicopter assistance impossible.

​Montreal, Quebec's largest city by far, has declared a state of emergency and has deployed 1,650 troops to put up flood-breaking sandbags and rescue people stranded by high waters. Nearly two and a half inches of rain has pummeled eastern Ontario and western Quebec, flooding lakes and rivers and prompting the evacuation of more than 1,500 Quebecoise in nearly 150 municipalities.

​According to Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel, the rains are the worst to hit Quebec in 55 years. "It's clear now we're in the midst of a historic event," he said on Friday. "We're gonna get through it, as we always do. But we'll do everything together."

The Sanguenay River flood of 1996 saw significantly more rain and damage, with 10 deaths and nearly 16,000 evacuations. It was the largest flood in modern Canadian history, and it seems that the more recent flooding is unlikely to break that record.

Authorities are optimistic about water levels, according to Quebec assemblyman Martin Coiteux. "What's encouraging is that the water levels will stop climbing," he told reporters.

​"It's very important to reiterate that. We are reaching maximum levels. The water levels in the flooded areas should start going down Wednesday. It may start earlier in certain sectors. But these levels are very high… so patience is required. But I know it's hard."

The toll from severe flooding in eastern Canada worsened Monday with thousands of people affected and schools closed, but authorities were optimistic that rising water levels would soon crest.

Canada flood damage worsens but heavy rains subsiding
https://www.today.ng/news/world/293205/canada-flood-damage-worsens-heavy-rains-subsiding

Several rivers and lakes have reached near 50-year peak levels in Quebec province, between Gatineau in the Canadian capital region and Montreal 200 kilometers (125 miles) downstream, Quebec Public Safety Minister Martin Coiteux announced.

The ground is saturated and unable to absorb any more water.

But recent heavy rains have started to subside and “as of Wednesday, we expect to see the situation begin to improve,” Coiteux said.

The Canadian army has deployed troops to help stem the flooding, reinforcing dikes, maintaining water treatment facilities, and protecting other critical infrastructure such as bridges.

Brigadier-General Hercule Gosselin said their ranks would swell to 1,650 later in the day.

Although it is unlikely to get any worse as of Monday, “the situation will last a few weeks,” said Coiteux.

There are “exceptional circumstances” behind the flooding, said Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel, pointing to a month of rain coming on the heels of a spring thaw after a “severe winter.”

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said it was the worst Canadian flood in “50 years” but added that the situation was improving in Ontario, where high water levels in one of the Great Lakes — Lake Ontario — threatened coastal communities including parts of Toronto, Belleville to the east and the Thousand Islands region, which is home to thousands of 19th century mansions and cottages.

“We are watching closely the events in New Brunswick” on the Atlantic coast, and in eastern Quebec where the rains “appear to be headed,” said Goodale.

Flooding caused by unusually persistent rainfall has driven nearly 1,900 people from their homes in 126 municipalities in the Canadian province of Quebec, authorities said Sunday.

Floods drive nearly 1,900 from homes in Canada's Quebec (Photos)
http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/news/world/floods-drive-1-900-homes-canada-quebec-article-1.3144715

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

* Parts of Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee remain under flood warning on Sunday
* At least 13 people have died due to massive flooding caused by torrential rains that hit the region on Thursday
* National Weather Service issued flood warnings affecting 10 million people in areas near Mississippi River

13 people die and 10 million more are under flood warning as rising Mississippi River ravages parts of the Midwest (Photos - Video)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4475928/Some-rivers-receding-Mississippi-River-remains-high.html

At least 13 people have died due to flooding in the Midwest, authorities said Saturday as up to 10 million people living across six states remain under flood warning.

Weather experts said over the weekend that several areas along the Mississippi River were likely to see near-record crests, according to CNN.

The river's rise was likely to affect towns in places like Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Residents of towns in southern Illinois and southeast Missouri girded for record high crests that surpassed 45 feet.

 

[Laura]

Re: Dam failure and flooding


Haven't there been a couple other "historic floods" of the Mississippi in the past decade or so?

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Haven't there been a couple other "historic floods" of the Mississippi in the past decade or so?

The 1927 and 2011 Mississippi River floods.

Biggest Floods in History—Does Mississippi Make the List?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/05/110524-biggest-floods-mississippi-river-usgs-list-freshwater-environment/

PUBLISHED May 26, 2011

As the crest of the Mississippi River flood moves through New Orleans and out to sea this week, peak river levels recorded during the month-long deluge threaten to top even the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

The most destructive river flood in U.S. history, the 1927 event moved about 2 million cubic feet (65,000 cubic meters) of water—enough to fill about 26 Olympic-size swimming pools—every second. (See pictures: "Mississippi River at Its Worst.")

"The numbers are still provisional, but [the current flood's peak water discharge] looks to be about the same" as the 1927 flood, said James O'Connor, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Still, the 1927 and 2011 Mississippi River floods remain just drops in the bucket compared to other known freshwater "megafloods" around the world, according to O'Connor.

The scientist co-authored a 2004 USGS report that ranked all freshwater floods known to have occurred during the past two million years. The list, which remains largely unchanged since its release, includes only floods that had peak discharges of 3.5 million cubic feet (100,000 cubic meters) a second or more.