Biblical Great Flood: Will it Likely Occur?

The Great Flood of the Bible was an event that shook the world to its core, wiping out almost all forms of life and causing catastrophic devastation. While many people think of the Great Flood as a myth, some scientists consider it actually happened. Geological evidence indicates that there have been several floods throughout history that have wreaked great havoc, including the Black Sea Inundation and the Mediterranean Sea Flood.

It is a well-known fact that floods are an unavoidable natural phenomenon that can sweep away anything in its path. Human activity and natural events such as heavy rainfall, snowmelt, hurricanes, and tsunamis are some of the factors that increase the likelihood of flooding. These kinds of events inevitably lead to devastation, affecting individuals, communities, and even entire regions.

However, it’s essential to note that not all floods are destructive. It somehow plays a significant role in driving biodiversity and is crucial to the proper functioning of many ecosystems.
It’s true that it brings destruction to humans and the natural environment, but the dangers connected with it can be reduced and prevented from becoming disasters through the help of good environmental management.

In an online event called, The Liveable Cities Lab Rainy Season Readiness on June 30, 2021. Dr. Missaka Hettiarachchi, a Senior Fellow in the Environmental Disaster Management Program (EDM) at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) USA, said,

“Managing the risk is not always stopping the flood… In this day and age, the risk is uncertain. The fixed views about the 20-year flood, the 50-year flood — those notions actually have flown out of the window with the modern changes in the climate.”

Dr. Missaka Hettiarachchi

Climate change has made it challenging to predict the prevalence and severity of floods, hence a higher degree of uncertainty regarding its risk, and traditional notions of predicting the likelihood and frequency of floods are no longer reliable.

Dr. Hettiarachchi, also mentioned in his presentation that the use of diverse approaches should be combined and considered to lower the risk of flooding. These are non-structural, soft/green structural, and hard/grey structural methods.

The effect of Climate change has made an extraordinary pace in the rise of sea levels around the world. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2022 report, even if the world were to follow the most optimistic scenario for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, it would still result in a significant rise in global mean sea level of at least 0.3 meters (1 foot) above 2000 levels by the end of the century.

And so the question remains: will the biblical great flood likely happen? The answer is probably yes, but it is far-fetched to be as catastrophic as the one stated in the Bible. 

Despite the certain impacts of global warming and rising sea levels, it remains essential to make preparations and adjustments to cope with these effects.

Flood protection strategies, such as flood-resistant building materials, smart sensors, and data analytics, can help detect flood risks and alert people to take necessary precautionary measures. Getting used to innovative flood control systems can also aid in creating flood-resistant buildings and critical infrastructures. This will help mitigate the need for expensive repairs and reconstructions in the event of flooding.

The act of nature does not seek permission, and floods do not choose its corner. What we can only do is learn how to live with it.

If you’re interested in learning more about innovative flood protection strategies, contact us today for more information. Let’s work together to protect our homes, businesses, and communities from the destructive power of floods.