Exam 14: Floods and Human Interactions

Which is NOT a common method of levee failure?

When a flood breaks through the walls of a levee, it is called a(n) _______________.

Debris flows can happen even on slopes of less than 30° covered with thick brush or forest.

To reduce exposure to damage from debris flows, buildings and streets should be built perpendicular to the downslope direction of flow.

List some regions of the U.S. where there are significant populations living on alluvial fans. Why is it dangerous to build there?

Rising floodwater in a river increases groundwater pressure, which can push water to the surface on the floodplain, where it can potentially rise to nearly the water level in the river. With prolonged flooding, that water often reaches the surface as _______________.

The U.S. average annual death rate caused by floods over a recent 10-year period exceeded 100.

Levees are ____.

Which was the most disastrous dam failure in recent decades?

Artificial levees are almost always built downstream of natural levees.

Why is it dangerous to drive in a shallow flooded area?

Which factor did NOT contribute to the flooding around Jakarta, Indonesia, in February 2007, which killed dozens and forced the evacuation of more than 400,000 people?

Sometimes a levee breach will lead to _______________, where the main channel of a river is redirected through the breach.

What is NOT a way in which development affects floods?

Compacted clay resists erosion and is nearly impermeable to floodwater but can fail by _______________.

The Teton Dam, in the state of _______________, failed June 5, 1976, took 11 lives, and caused more than $3.2 billion in damage.

A bill passed by the U.S. Senate in 2008 requires that people buy _______________ if a levee breach will result in their homes being flooded.

Every time we build a new levee to protect something on a floodplain or to facilitate shallow-water navigation, we _______________ the width of the flood-flow part of the river.

Which factor does NOT influence the hazard potential of a failing dam?

Damage from debris flows can be limited through construction of walls to deflect flows to an undeveloped area.