This study was conducted in the Dire Dawa city watershed with the aims of assessing flood causing factors and to propose landscape based flood mitigation strategies. The people were left stranded by flood water in Haro Hadi Town following the overflow of Awash River and Lake Bekele. Floodplains are the flat areas created from years of overflowing channels of rivers and streams. Unusually large rainfall or snowmelt are examples of the weather and climate abnormalities that cause major floods, however human interactions can divert rivers and change the risk of flooding. Floods. In terms of weather, warmer air has higher capacity to hold water; the higher the topology (like mountains) the more likely a region is to experience orthographic lift thus causing precipitation. Flood usually occurs at irregular intervals and varies in magnitude, duration and the area affected by flood. On 5 August 2006, torrential rains caused the Dechatu River to burst its banks, causing serious flash flooding in the region of Dire Dawa. National Meteorology Agency Director-General, Fetene Teshome, said intense rainfall in the rainy season could pose unprecedented flooding and land sliding risks in some parts of Ethiopia. The biggest factors that determine flood height and size are climate, topography of local land, and basin size. Another way to increase the risk of floods is to increase the amount of impervious surfaces in flood-prone areas. ADDIS ABABA- (ENA) Unprecedented flood caused by the overflow of Awash River has displaced more than 144,000 persons and caused over 5 billion Birr damage in Afar Regional State. Where and why do floods occur in Ethiopia? Importance of the Nile River’s origins in Ethiopia; Seasons in Ethiopia; Flooding in Ethiopia. The speed of water flowing through a river coupled with the depth of the river is called discharge and it can impact the river’s erosion of the surrounding landscape. The government in Ethiopia reports that unprecedented flooding caused by the overflow of the Awash River has displaced more than 144,000 persons in Afar Regional State. Orthographic lift occurs more often in areas around the trade winds (which is denoted as between the equator and 30 degrees) with high elevation. Heavy Rains during August Cause Massive Floods in Ethiopia Ethiopia has appealed for millions of dollars in emergency relief for the country’s worst flooding in decades as hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands left homeless caused by flash … The October weather forecast by the National Meteorology Agency (NMA) indicated that the expected dominantly above normal rainfall will prevail across the … Flood is a natural disaster and causes loss of life and property destruction. ADDIS ABEBA – Afar region has announced the unprecedented flood caused by the overflow of Awash River has left 144, 000 homeless and caused the destruction of properties worth over 5 billion Birr. Retrieved from http://www.geoforcxc.com/water/river-features/. About 90% of the sediment for the Nile originates in the Ethiopian highlands and travels the course of the Blue Nile during floods. Water is dark blue. Damage from flooding is often large due to the combination of fast-moving water and the many people who live, work, and develop property along a river. The short rainy season in southeastern Ethiopia typically runs from October to January. Almost 45% of Ethiopia is resting on a high elevation plateau with many mountains. Climate Dynamics, 43, 1645-1660. The images are enhanced with infrared light to make water stand out from the surrounding landscape. This process determines at any given point how much water flows in rivers and the potential of a river to overflow its banks causing damaging floods. Most precipitation will occur on the windward side of the mountain ranges (or the side that is facing the oncoming wind). Whenever flooding takes place, there is the possibility of loss of life, hardship to people, and extensive damage to property. Impervious surfaces can increase flood damages by reducing the lands potential to absorb some of the flood waters, instead water will flow off the surface and continue without impediments, moving more quickly than it otherwise would. The loss of vegetation cover (by deforestation, drought, or other natural causes), loose soil, urbanization, land covered by impervious surfaces, and steep slopes are the main factors that affect the amount of soil erosion and thus increase the damage caused by flooding. Record floods cause deaths and widespread damage in Sudan August 28, 2020 September 4, 2020 Ethiopian Monitor #flood , #Nile river , #Sudan KHARTOUM – Floodwaters in Sudan have reached the highest levels on record, killing dozens of people, destroying thousands of homes and encroaching on some neighborhoods of the capital Khartoum. Similar study conducted in Nigeria (Ologunorisa and Adejumo 2005; Agbola et al. The best way to avoid this extremely common natural hazard is by not building and settling on floodplains. (See Drought in Eastern Ethiopia on the Earth Observatory. So flooding in Ethiopia affects many people in the region who depend on the Nile River for their livelihoods. US Geological Survey Circular, 1245. Caption by Holli Riebeek. A long duration or rainfall in a large river watershed or short and heavy precipitation in a small watershed both cause large flows in rivers. The water cycle circulates particles of H2O throughout the earth, and flooding is one of the byproducts. Flooding causes many problems, including the erosion of the top-most layer of soil (which is often the most fertile), property damaged, downstream increases in sediment, increase of fertilizer used in agriculture (due to loss of most nutrient-rich topsoil), and more pollution downstream (due to applied fertilizers upstream). The multidimensional causes of flood hazard and limited landscape based mitigation strategies in the study area have worsen the impacts of flooding. Ethiopia: Thousands displaced by floods in Somali region. Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa, at a latitude of 9 degrees North and 38 degrees East in longitude between the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the western Indian Ocean. Pale blue pools along the river are shallow, silt-laden water or muddy ground. These areas are often rich in nutrient rich silty-sediment which is good for growing crops, and often people encroach on floodplains in their development creating dangerously places houses and towns that are at risk if nearby rivers overflow their banks. Ethiopia’s climate is similar to other countries in Eastern Africa in that it experiences two main rainy seasons: a period of long rains between June and September, and a season of short rains from March to May. A project done for GEOG 2137 at GWU, by Lotanna Obodozie, LJ Conley, Frankie De Cristofaro, and Alex Rodgers. "I could hear people, perhaps my neighbors, screaming for help, but I could only fight for the survival of my family," Ahmed Sabrie, a … The loss of vegetation cover (by deforestation, drought, or other natural causes), loose soil, urbanization, land covered by impervious surfaces, and steep slopes are the main factors that affect the amount of soil erosion and thus increase the damage caused by flooding. 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