4.1 What were the largest floods in the world?

Some of the biggest world floods of the last decade of the past century and the first decade of the present century are shown at the table below.
Continent Country River Lake Sea Year Type of flood Causes Injured territory Injured population Victims Economic losses
ASIA
Thailand South China Sea 2011 Combination – Riverine and Costal Floods Intensive and long Monsoon rainfalls after 3 Hurricanes 300 000 km2 11 Millions p. 600 p. 16 Milliards $
Pakistan Indi 2010 Combination – Riverine, Local drainage and high groundwater levels Monsoon rainfall with Change model 350 000 km2 13,8 Millions p. 1500 p. –
Philippines Island 2011 Combination of floods Hard and long Tropic cyclone. Sea tide – 300 000 p. 1000 p. –
Bangladesh Gang Brahmaputra 1998 Combination – Riverine and Costal Floods Combination – Monsoons and Tropic Cyclone 100 000 km2 70 Millions p. 1300 p. –
Bangladesh India Nepal Gang 1993 Combination – Riverine Flooding Costal floods Intensive Monsoons Rainfall – 6 Millions p. 3084 p. 8,5 Milliards $
China Yangtze 1998 Riverine flood Intensive rainfall – 180 Millions p. 3656 p. 31 Milliards $
1993 – – – – – 11 Milliards $
1995 – – – – – 8 Milliards $
1996 – – – – – 24 Milliards $
South East China 2011 Combination Riverine floods Several Mud flows Intensive and very long rainfall 12 Provinces 5 Millions p. 355 p. –
Japan Pacific Ocean 2011 Coastal Flooding Tsunami (Earthquake – 8,9 Richter) 400 km Sea Cost 5 Millions p. 15781 p. –
India Several rivers 2005 Rivering flooding Intensive and long Monsoon Rainfall – – 700 p. –
2008 Rivering flooding Intensive early Monsoon Rainfall – 1,2 Millions p. 150 p. –
2011 Rivering flooding Intensive Monsoon Rainfall – – 335 p. –
North Korea Taedong River 1995 Rivering flooding Intensive rainfall Secondary effect-hunger 300 000 homelles 2 Millions p. 800 p. 15 Milliards $
Indonesia India Ocean 2004 Tsunami wave Earthquake(9,0-9,3) near to island Sumatra 15 countries 1.7 Millions p. 283 000p. (9000 tourists) 14100 p. – disappear 16 Milliards $
NORTH AMERICA
USA Mississippi 1993 Riverine flooding Intensive rainfall 9 states – 50 p. 21 Milliards $
Texas 2001 Flash flooding, Tropic Storm ”Allison” Intensive rainfall – – 23 p. 6 Milliards $
New Orleans 2005 Combination Revering floods Hurricane “Katrina” 233 000 km2 – 1836 p. –
West Virginia 1972 Dam break of coal mine – – – 125 p. –
SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina Ecuador Bolivia Several rivers 2008 Riverine floods Intensive and long rainfall – El Nino – 150 000 p. 50 p. 16 Milliards $
Brasil Several rivers 2011 Riverine flooding Intensive rainfall – 1 35 p. –
Venezuela Rio San Julian 1999 Alluvial fan flood Rainfall storm – – 19 000 p. –
AFRICA
Mozambique Limpopo river 2000 Riverine Flooding Torrential rain 1400 km2 800 000 p. 800 p. –
The Republic of South Africa Orange river 2011 Riverine flooding El Niño – – 100 p. –
Algeria – 2001 Flash Flood, Alluvial fan flood Torrential rain – – 827 p. –
AUSTRALIA Quenensland Floods Fitzroy Burnett Coudamine Ballone Mary 2010 Riverine and Costal flooding Intensive rainfall and strong wind 800 000 km2 200 000 p. – –