Causes of floods

Flooding is usually caused by a volume of water within a body of water, such as a lake, overflowing. The result is that some of the water travels to land, and 'floods' the area. Floods can also occur in rivers, when the strength of the river is so high it flows out of the river channel, particularly at bends or meanders and causes damage to homes and businesses alongside the river. While flood damage can be prevented by moving away from rivers and other lakes, people have lived and worked by the water to seek sustenance, and capitalize on the gains of cheap and easy travel and commerce easily, by being near water.