Flood Trivia
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 04:26PM 1. How much rapidly moving water can knock a person down?
A. 3 inches
B. 6 inches
C. 12 inches
The answer is B. It only takes 6 inches of fast-moving water to bring you down.
2. Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 dropped how many inches of rain on Americus, Georgia in a span of 24 hours causing rivers to burst their banks and flood the area?
A. 21 inches
B. 32 inches
C. 44 inches
The answer is A. 21 inches
3. How high was the wall of water that hit Shadyside, Ohio, in a flash flood on June 14, 1990?
A. 10-15 feet
B. 15-20 feet
C. 25-30 feet
The answer is B. 15-20 feet. After thunderstorms drenched Southeastern Ohio that day, three tributaries of the Ohio River flooded and sent a wall of water into Shadyside, killing 26 people.
4. This "Great" flood occurred in 1993 and caused a very well known river to flood and cause massive damage in the Midwest. What is the name of this river?
A. Snake River
B. Chattahoochee River
C. Mississippi River
The answer is C. The Mississippi River. This flood is one of the worst of all time. The Mississippi River broke through many dikes and walls after months of rain. The floodwaters stayed in some streets for 2 months or more.
5. What's a muddy flood?
A. a flood caused by runoff on farmland
B. a flood caused by a landslide
C. a flood with a lot of mud in it
The answer is A. Muddy floods happen when heavy storms on cropland cause a great deal of runoff. They've increased in some areas because of new home construction and the planting of erosion-sensitive crops.
6. In 1976 the Teton Dam failed and caused the loss of 14 lives with the flood it caused. What state was this doomed dam built in?
A. Wyoming
B. Idaho
C. Utah
The answer is B. The dam was located in Idaho and the dam was doomed when seepage started to wear away the bottom of it. The dam was never rebuilt.
7. Which of these can cause floods?
A. Heavy rain
B. Snow melt
C. Ice jams
D. All of the above
The answer is D. Most floods are caused by heavy rain but some of the worst floods ever have been caused by rapid snow melt. Ice jams can cause major flooding problems also.
8. What caused the famous 1889 flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania?
A. Sudden ice melt in the Allegheny Mountains
B. Hurricane Clara
C. Broken dam
The answer is C. On May 31, 1889, after days of torrential rain, the South Fork Dam burst near Johnstown, sending the waters of Lake Conemaugh roaring downhill. The flash flood killed more than 2,000 people in a matter of minutes.
9. What should you do if a flash flood is approaching you?
A. Climb to higher ground any way you can
B. Run as fast as you can
C. Go limp and let the flood waters carry you
The answer is A. You should climb to higher ground out of the path of the flood.
10. What percentage of the city of New Orleans was flooded after Hurricane Katrina in 2005?
A. 30 percent
B. 50 percent
C. 80 percent
The answer is C. Because of the failure of the city's levee system, 80 percent of New Orleans flooded.
