Flooding due to heavy rains is not a new thing these days, but if you ever see something like carrying huge amounts of silt and rocks along with running water, run away from there immediately. Because flash flood is a slightly different type of flood occurring in a shorter period of time, in which not only water but debris of other things like mud, rocks, trees, etc. is involved, sweeping everything before them.
When the embankments break with a rapid flow of water due to the heavy or excessive rainfall in the mountains miles away in a short period of time (occurring within minutes or a few hours), a sudden flood quickly and unexpectedly occurs in the low areas, it is called a flash flood or sudden flood. A flash flood can even occur without any rainfall, such as after a levee or dam has failed. On the other hand, Flooding is a longer-duration event, which may last for several days or weeks.
Flash flooding is considered more dangerous because it comes suddenly and no one can prepare for it and anyone can get injured by the debris that comes with it. According to experts, a major possible reason for flash floods is the rapid melting of glaciers or heavy rains in the mountains. Due to the heat, the water of the glaciers starts filling in the lakes formed on the slopes of the mountain, and due to the increased pressure of the water, the embankment breaks and floods occur. There are many such lakes in the Himalayan mountain range, which are made of glaciers and may pose a threat in the coming times due to global warming.
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The flood in Kedarnath in 2013 was a flash flood, in which over 5,000 people were presumed dead. In that tragic incident, thousands of tonnes of silt and water from the mountains washed away the town of Kedarnath due to the sudden flash flood caused by the heavy rain following a cloudburst. Similarly, in May 2012, a natural lake formed by glaciers near Pokhara, a beautiful tourist destination in Nepal, suddenly went burst free, and hundreds of millions of gallons of icy water and mud gushed out, destroying many houses, barns, and farms. Filming flash floods too close and underestimating it is the biggest reason people die.
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