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Floods Across the Globe
This visualization explores major global flood events from 1985 to 2014 using data from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory (DFO). The dataset includes information on each flood event, including its location, date, magnitude, severity, deaths, and other reported impacts. Flood magnitude reflects the overall scale of an event based on factors such as its duration, severity, and affected area.
Key Findings
Several years stand out with unusually large spikes in recorded flood deaths: (1) 1991 - Tropical Cyclones: 144,640 of the 150,169 recorded deaths were associated with Tropical Cyclones across 13 incidents; (2) 2004 - Tidal Surge: 160,000 of the 173,123 recorded deaths were associated with a Tidal Surge in Thailand; and (3) 2008 - Tropical Cyclones: 100,720 of the 107,619 recorded deaths were associated with Tropical Cyclones across 23 incidents. Although some of these totals were distributed across multiple incidents, they were substantially higher than other flood causes. For example, in 1991, Heavy Rains accounted for 3,858 deaths across 69 incidents, compared with 144,640 deaths associated with the Tropical Cyclones.
Across the 1985 - 2014 period, Heavy Rains, Monsoon Rains, Tropical Cyclones, and Torrential Rains repeatedly alternated as the leading flood causes by recorded deaths. This pattern became particularly noticeable when playing through the years and observing how the treemap changed.
How to Explore the Map:
Each circle represents a recorded flood event. Circle size indicates flood magnitude, while color represents the number of deaths recorded. Click a flood event on the map to explore the selected country's flood events and recorded deaths over time in the chart below, as well as the flood cause associated with recorded deaths.
Use the Country dropdown to focus on a specific country, the Magnitude (M) slider to filter events by flood magnitude, and the Year control to select a specific year or play through the timeline to observe how flood events change across the globe. Select a Flood Cause to filter the map and charts, allowing you to explore where that cause occurred and how recorded deaths changed over time.
Data source: Tableau Resources
by: Nicole Vicenti
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