Abstract
Abstract This work introduces an unprecedented flash flood that resulted in nine casualties in Shimen Valley, China, 2015. Through field survey and numerical simulation the causes of the disaster are systematically analyzed, finding that the intense storm, terrain features, and the large woody debris (LWD) played important roles. The intense storm induced fast runoff and, in turn, high discharges as a result of the steep catchment surfaces and channels. The flood flushed LWD and boulders downstream until blockage occurred in a contraction section, forming a debris lake. When the debris dam broke, a dam break wave rapidly propagated to the valley mouth, washing people away. After considering the disaster-inducing factors, measures for preventing similar floods are proposed. The analysis presented herein should help others manage flash floods in mountain areas.
Highlights
Jingming Hou Bingyao Li Yu Tong Liping Ma State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics inJames Ball School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, AustraliaHui Luo Meteorological Bureau of Shaanxi Province, No.102-1 Weiyang Road, Xi’an 710015, ChinaQiuhua Liang School of Architecture, Building and CivilEngineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UKJunqiang Xia State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaFloods in mountain areas are a devastating natural disaster, becoming one of the most important restrictive factors for sustainable development of the economy and society in mountain catchments (Weingartner et al ; Tezuka et al ; Thaler et al )
This work presents a new type of flash flood caused by the chain effects of intense rainfall, barrier dam formed by flushed large woody debris (LWD) and boulders, as well as the dam break wave propagation in Shimen Valley, Qinling Mountain, China, in order to depict the characteristics of the flood process, analyze the main disaster drivers, and propose effective mitigating measures
An unprecedented flash flood leading to nine casualties in Shimen Valley is presented
Summary
Jingming Hou (corresponding author) Bingyao Li Yu Tong Liping Ma State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics inJames Ball School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, AustraliaHui Luo Meteorological Bureau of Shaanxi Province, No.102-1 Weiyang Road, Xi’an 710015, ChinaQiuhua Liang School of Architecture, Building and CivilEngineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UKJunqiang Xia State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaFloods in mountain areas are a devastating natural disaster, becoming one of the most important restrictive factors for sustainable development of the economy and society in mountain catchments (Weingartner et al ; Tezuka et al ; Thaler et al ). All the mountain flood events mentioned above were caused by heavy rainstorm and/or dam break flows of the debris (primarily earthquake) in lakes. This work presents a new type of flash flood caused by the chain effects of intense rainfall, barrier dam formed by flushed large woody debris (LWD) and boulders, as well as the dam break wave propagation in Shimen Valley, Qinling Mountain, China, in order to depict the characteristics of the flood process, analyze the main disaster drivers, and propose effective mitigating measures.
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