Floods

High water levels and floods occur in a variety of different forms. Sea floods usually last for a long time, but due to the almost non-existent flow velocity, they have less direct destructive power than stream runoffs and hardly any bed load. The long duration can cause considerable damage to buildings, for example through buoyant forces.

In contrast, streams flowing from the bed usually have very high flow speeds and can thus cause enormous damage in a very short time. They usually carry a lot of debris and can make roads impassable. Due to the rapid onset, there is usually hardly any time to take precautionary measures. Flooding caused by valley rivers is a mixture of the two characteristics described above. People are usually only at risk outside buildings. In special cases, however, this can also be the case inside buildings (locked rooms, surprised when sleeping).

Link to our flood/high water level services.