The Human Factor in Floods

• Published in: American scientist Vol. 111; no. 3; pp. 142 - 143
• Main Author: Saunders, Fenella
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Research Triangle Park Sigma XI-The Scientific Research Society 01-05-2023
• Subjects: Climate change; Emergency communications systems; Floods; Glacial lakes; Human factors; Lakes; Local population; Peru; Bhutan; Pakistan
• ISSN: 0003-0996; 1545-2786
• DOI: 10.1511/2023.111.3.142

When Lake Palcacocha, a glacial lake in Peru, suddenly burst in 1941, releasing 8 to 10 million cubic meters of water, the resulting flood killed an estimated 6,000 people, and the water and debris destroyed about a third of the town of Huaraz, 23 kilometers away. Although Peru implemented a lauded engineering program in the decades that followed to stabilize glacial lakes, climate change and political shifts in the region have brought the danger level back up. This example shows how the danger from such glacial lake outburst floods (or GLOFs) isn't just a matter of a physical hazard, but varies with the local population level and the availability of government support in the region.