FLOODS IN THE WORLD IN 2017

Abstract

In 2017, 202 major floods occurred around the world, which is fewer than in the previous year (220 floods); however, they claimed more casualties (a total of 5114) than the previous year (3683). Most floods were recorded in South and South-East Asia, with the majority occurring in the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. Many floods in Asia are dealt with jointly, which reduces the total number of floods. The highest number of individual floods – 17 separate floods, to be exact – was recorded in the USA. In 2017, floods triggered the migration of at least 6.6 million people, who were forced to leave their homes due to the high water (which, according to the Darthmouth Flood Observatory, was twice as many people as in 2016), and affected 15.7 million square kilometres of land. Floods of the highest magnitude in the world, 7.9, occurred in Peru in February and March, and floods of the highest magnitude in Europe were the city flash floods in Valencia, Spain, in March. According to insurance company data, floods directly caused USD 30 billion of damage around the world in 2017; the amount would be even higher if damage resulting from hurricanes was included.