Last updated 9:00 PM EST, January  8, 2003 by EKA (Revised by av & sc, July 2003)
2002 Global Register of Extreme Flood Events - Scroll Down and Look For Links to Maps In The Country Column
DFO #	Country	Detailed Locations	Began (mm/dd/yy)	Ended (mm/dd/yy)	Duration (days)	Dead	Displaced	Damage (USD)	Main Cause	Secondary cause	Recurrence Interval (Anecdotal)	Severity Class*	Hectares Flooded	Hayden Code	Affected Region (sq km)	Flood Magnitude**	Notes and Comments
261	Vanuatu	Southern Tanna Island - Tafea Province: from Ipeukel on the Southeast Coast to Green Point in the South	12/21/02	12/25/02	5				Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tpo	146	0.2	heavy rain with hail - a very unusual phenomenon in these latitudes - caused a number of large landslides and flash-flooding - agricultural damageCAUSE:Rain - Landslides
260	California	Northern California - Counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou. Eureka, Humboldt Bay. Rivers: Eel, Mad and Navarro.	12/28/02	12/31/02	4				Heavy rain			1		TsoCs, Cp	20,630	2.0	"The worst-hit areas were in the northern end of the state, where a record 7 inches of rain fell in Eureka, and flood warnings were issued on the Eel, Mad and Navarro rivers in Humboldt and Mendocino counties."CAUSE:Rain
259	Malaysia	Negeri Sembilan State - Port Dickson, Sendayan, Seremban, Rantau. Rivers: Sungai Sepang and tributaries, Sungai Jimah.	12/27/02	12/29/02	3				Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tpz	900	0.3	"Flash floods hit several low-lying areas here (Port Dickson) and in Seremban following several hours of heavy rains" "Sungai Sepang and its tributaries to burst their banks" "A resident said this was one of the worst floods in the area"CAUSE:Rain -flash flood
258	Indonesia	Sumatra -  South Sumatra State: village of Laai and dozens of villages in the region. Lampung State : Gunung Kemala South Sulawesi - Polewali Mamasa district, Mambi. Java - Pandeglang district of Banten. Cibaliung river. Bandung district: Baleendah, Dayeuhkolot, Ciparay. Citarum River.	12/26/02	12/31/02	6	24	10,000		Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tpz	14,760	2.2	"Heavy rains caused floods and landslides in a hilly region of southern Sumatra island" "Torrential downpours since Thursday night have flooded dozens of villages in the region, about 250 miles northwest of the capital Jakarta." "A total of 2,676 houses in Indonesia's Bandung district were inundated on Thursday as Citarum River overflowed following incessant rains in the past two days."CAUSE:Rain - Landslides
257	Angola	Luanda city - Maianga municipality and Kinanga zone	12/23/02	12/25/02	3	4	40		Heavy rain			1		Tpo	2,800	0.6	"At least four people died and several houses were destroyed due to the rains that fell on Luanda, partially paralysing the city."CAUSE:Rain
256	South Africa	Western Cape - Karoo. De Doorns and Touwsriver.	12/21/02	12/24/02	4		50		Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tsu	780	0.4	"Touwsriver was the hardest hit by flash floods and high winds. Storm water rushed down mountain gullies, flooding newly build RDP houses. Walls caved in and families were evacuated." "The rivers are in spate, farm dams are filling up and the drought has been broken."CAUSE:Rain -flash flood
255	Kenya	Marigat Division in Baringo District. Ng'ambo, Ng'arua, Eldume, Sintaan. Perkerra River	12/21/02	12/23/02	3	6	3,000		Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tpz	750	0.3	"The five were swept away by the raging waters of the Perkerra River after it burst its banks in heavy rains that pounded the Tugen Hills and Karbatonjo escarpment" "More than 5,000 goats were killed while hundreds of houses were destroyed."CAUSE:Rain -flash flood
254	Lebanon	Sidon, Tyre, Akkar, Kesrouan, Eastern Bekaa valley, Hasbaya, Beirut, Nabatieh. Rivers: Sayneeq, Litani, Wazzani, Hasbani, Nahr al-Kabir, Al-Ustuwan, Nahr Ibrahim	12/20/02	12/22/02	3		300		Heavy rain			1		TsuCs	4,210	0.7	"The rainfall, coupled with exceptionally strong winds, also caused power failures in some areas in Lebanon, particularly in the north where rains swept away about 12 homes. Hundreds of others were partly immersed in water, which in some cases reached two-meters (seven feet) high. Civil Defense workers and army troops evacuated people from 50 homes in the remote town of Akkar near the Lebanese-Syrian border"CAUSE:Rain
253	Indonesia	Sumatra - Riau Province: Kampar River in Kampar regency. Rokan Kanan River in Rokan Hulu regency. Jambi Province: Kerinci regency. Batang Maron River.	12/15/02	12/20/02	6		60,000		Heavy rain		16	1	1,400	Tpz	21,900	2.7	"Floodwaters spread to other areas in Riau, threatening to cut off food supplies to the province from neighboring West Sumatra as the flooding was likely to submerge the only alternative road connecting the two regions." "Some 50,000 people in Rokan Hulu regency fled their homes to safer areas on Tuesday as flooding occurred in at least 27 villages in three subdistricts... refugees ... had anticipated the floods, the worst in Rokan Hulu since 1976, days before the disaster hit the town." "Floods also have been plaguing the neighboring province of Jambi since last Saturday, forcing almost 10,000 families in at least 62 villages in the regency of Kerinci to flee to safer areas."CAUSE:Rain
252	Sri Lanka	Eastern Province -  Districts: Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi. North Central Province - Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapra	12/16/02	12/20/02	5	2	500,000		Heavy rain			1		Tpz	14,150	1.9	"The district of Batticaloa was the worst affected with over 60,000 families forced to leave their flooded homes, officials said, adding that heavy rain had lashed the region for four straight days."CAUSE:Rain
251	California, Oregon and Nevada	Northern California - Counties: Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Santa Barbara. San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys.  Napa city, Napa Valley, San Jose, North Vacaville, Yountville, Los Gatos. Rivers: Napa, Guadalupe, Russian, Sacramento, Eel and Navarro. Southern California - Carlsbad, La Verne and San Dimas. Nevada - Reno. Oregon - Coquille River.	12/14/02	12/24/02	11	6			Heavy rain			1		TsoCs, Cp	44,630	5.1	Detected by Quikscat. "A deadly weather system that lashed the Pacific Coast with record rainfall, flooding and wind up to 100 mph may have been just the beginning of a stormy holiday period... Rain is expected for the next couple of weeks, with occasional breaks, the weather service said, partly because El Nino has warmed the tropical Pacific, pumping extra moisture into the storms. Precipitation levels in San Francisco are expected to be 20 percent to 50 percent above normal for the next three months,"  "So far, most flooding has been minor, with the exception of extensive street flooding in Napa County California early Monday morning some evacuations were reported in the City of Napa"  "The Northern California towns of Yountville and Los Gatos got 6 inches of rain late Sunday and early Monday. The National Weather Service reported record rainfall, including 2.32 inches measured Monday at the University of California at Los Angeles. "CAUSE:Rain
250	S. France	Between Montpellier and Nîmes, Sommières	12/13/02	12/14/02	2	2			Heavy rain	See notes		1		TsuCs	1,300	0.2
249	Indonesia	East Java Province - Pacet hot springs in Mojokerto. Mojosari river.	12/11/02	12/15/02	5	28			Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tpz	650	0.4	" A river of mud, rocks and boulders swept down Welirang mountain Wednesday afternoon and buried the resort, which was packed with families marking the festivities at the end of the Muslim fasting month."CAUSE:Rain - Landslides
248	E. Brazil	Town of Angra Dos Reis, district of Areal. Rivers: Japuida, Perereque and Mambucaba.	12/09/02	12/11/02	3	39	2,000		Heavy rain	See notes	20	2		TsoCp	80	0.2	"Almost 2,000 people were forced to leave their homes by the mudslides and floods, which were triggered by torrential rains over the weekend. Civil defence officials said it was the worst disaster to hit the town of about 60,000 people, 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro. " "The town was pounded with more than five inches of rain in 24 hours,"CAUSE:Rain - Landslides
247	N. Greece and Macedonia	Greece - Pieria region, Larisa region. Macedonia - Northern Skopje: Suto Orizari. Vardar river.	12/06/02	12/10/02	5				Heavy rain			1		CpSe*	1,030	0.5	"Large amounts of wheat, kiwis and vine have been buried in mud and water, houses and shops have been flooded... and the Dion archeological site has been swamped with mud,"  "Rail lines and roads were cut between Athens and Thessaloniki north of Pieria after violent rains swelled rivers throughout Pieria, at the foot of Mount Olympus. The rail link was to reopen late on Sunday." "Heavy rains hit Macedonia starting late on December 4, 2002, causing the Vardar river to reach a critical level. The most affected areas are located in northern Skopje"CAUSE:Rain
246	N. Italy	Regions: Liguria, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Trentino. Genoa, Turin, Milan, Venice, Trieste, Bologna, Mantua, Friuli. Towns: Pordenone, Como, Milan, Venice. Lake Maggiore area. Rivers: Noncello. Po, Lambo.	11/22/02	12/03/02	12		10,000	$350,000,000	Heavy rain	See notes		1		CpSe*	29,900	4.3	"Overflowing rivers and lakes have flooded several towns and cities, including Milan and Venice, and have caused landslides across northern Italy."CAUSE:Rain - Landslides
245	Malaysia	Johor State - Ledang parlimentary constituency: Simpang Lima Darat, Parit Bunga Raya Hujung, Paya Kepong, Sri Jaya Bukit Banjar.	11/19/02	11/26/02	8		400		Heavy rain			1		Tpz	1,230	0.7	"Rising water following heavy rain in the past few days has forced about 400 people living in the Ledang parlimentary constituency to be evacuated"CAUSE:Rain
244	W. Morocco	Provinces: Benslimane, Khouribga. Settat region. Towns: El Gara, Bengueribi, Mohammedia, Berrechid. Moulay Yacoub, near Fez. Rivers: Bengueribi, El Maleh.	11/24/02	11/29/02	6	63			Heavy rain	See notes	30	2		Tpu	40,850	7.2	"Heavy rain Sunday and Monday, which came amid a four-year drought in Morocco, caused flooding that left 30 people dead in the rural farming area of Settat," "Flood damage also sparked a fire at the SAMIR oil refinery in the industrial town of Mohammedia, located between Rabat and Casablanca," "the deadliest natural disaster to strike the north African country in seven years."CAUSE:Rain - flash floods
243	Alaska	South Kenai Peninsula - Homer area, Ninilchik, Black Water Bend, Anchor Point. Sterling Highway. Anchor River and tributaries.	11/23/02	11/25/02	3				Heavy rain			1		CSs**	1,700	0.5	"Homes were evacuated in low-lying areas of the south Kenai Peninsula Saturday and an 8-mile stretch of the Sterling Highway and two bridges were closed temporarily as torrential rains once again flooded the Anchor River and a number of streams."CAUSE:Rain
242	Indonesia	Sumatra - Aceh Province - Districts: South Aceh (Tapaktuan, Samadha, Sudoh, Krueng Sarulah. Sarullah River.); Nagan Raya (Darul Makmur, Kuala, Seunagan, Lami); Southwest Aceh (Kreung Batee, Ie Mirah); Aceh Singkil (Singkil, Gunung Meriah, Simpang Kanan, Sultan Daulat, Rundeng, Kuta Baharu. Cinendang River.);  West Aceh. North Sumatra Province - Central Tapanuli regency: Andam Dewi, Barus, Sorkam, West Sorkam and Kolang districts. Sibundong River.  Nias Island - Gunungsitoli area, Nou River.	11/19/02	12/03/02	15	12	117,000		Heavy rain		50	2		Tpz	17,000	7.1	"Triggered by several days of heavy rains, rivers in several districts of Aceh's western coast area overflowed their banks and inundated dozens of villages," "the floods had also forced thousands of people to take refuge in higher areas, and paralyzed road communications between Meulaboh, West Aceh, and Tapaktuan, South Aceh"CAUSE:Rain
241	Costa Rica and Panama	Caribbean coast Costa Rica - Limon province. Sarapiqui, Siquirres, Limon, Talamanca, Sixaola, Cartago. Valle La Estrella, Limon Centro, Bananito La Bomba, Matina, Bribri, Olivia, Paraiso, Margarita, Catarina, Celia, Bambu, Suretka, Shiroles, Coroma and Gavilan.  Rivers: Bananito, Santa Clara. Sixaola, Estrella, Chirripó-Matina, Barbilla, Banano-Bananito. Panama - Provinces: Bocas del Toro, Veraguas, Darien, Colon.  Rivers: Indio, Sixaola. Capira, Maria Chiquita, Santa Maria de Belen.	11/23/02	12/13/02	21	8	7,000		Heavy rain		32	2	2,500	Tpo	2,200	2.9	"The storm left several towns along the Caribbean coast incommunicado, knocking out part of a bridge crossing the Bananito River, " "Television stations have shown images of towns inundated with up to 1.5 meters of water" "Floods of this intensity had not struck the region for the last 32 years. This month, Limón has experienced 200% more rain than expected" -- DEAD: CostaRica 7, Panama 1 -- DISPLACED: Costa Rica 7000, Panama "hundreds" -- CAUSE:Rain
240	S. Somalia	Lower Juba and Middle Juba regions. Buale, Hagar and Afmadow. Luuq in Gedo region.	11/08/02	11/21/02	14				Heavy rain			1		Tpz	65,260	6.7	"Large areas of the Juba Valley in southern Somalia have been flooded, with thousand of hectares of farmland inundated by flood waters… the Deyr rains (September -December) started early this year, cutting off all roads and severing business activity between the town and Kismayo and Mogadishu."CAUSE:Rain
239	Uganda and Kenya	Uganda - Kampala area, Nakivubo Channel. Eastern districts: Mbale, Bugiri, Sironko. Southwestern districts: Rukungiri, Kabale and Busheny. Kenya - Nyando District, Ayweyo, Awach River.	11/16/02	11/25/02	10	2	2,300		Heavy rain			1		Tpz	13,980	2.7	Heavy rains since late October. "The on-going El-Nino rains have displaced 492 families and destroyed vast amount of properties in Uganda in landslides and floods" -- DISPLACED: Uganda 2000, Kenya "hundreds" -- CAUSE:Rain
238	Alaska	Salcha, Tanana River	11/19/02	11/21/02	3				Ice jam/break-up			1		CSs**	600	0.3	"Warmer than usual weather has caused ice in the Tanana River to break apart and pile into a mile-long, 200-foot-wide jam. "CAUSE:Ice Jam
237	New Zealand	Christchurh area, Beckenham. Bowenvale Valley. Heathcote River	11/19/02	11/21/02	3				Heavy rain			1		Cp	600	0.3	"At noon yesterday the city council's rain gauge at the head of the Bowenvale Valley was showing almost 140mm of rain since Saturday."CAUSE:Rain
236	Congo and Zaire	North and Central Congo - Lower Congo River and Tributaries including Likouala aux Herbes, Oubangui, Giri, Sangha, Ngoko. Loukolelas, Makotimpoko and Mossaka	11/10/02	11/10/02	1		3,000		Heavy rain			1		Tpz Tpo	145,000	0.4	Detected by monitoring MODIS imagery 11-26-02 Agence France Presse   --Officials said the Congo River had already reached the critical level of 423 metres by Monday, with average daily increases of three to five centimetres. "The river level has continued to rise at such a rate that we fear it could soon surpass the alert level of 520 metres," "Should current trends continue, we are in danger of even surpassing the level of flooding that caused the displacement of 80,000 Kinshasa residents in 1999," -- "The communes expected to be most affected include Barumbu, Gombe, Kalamu, Kinkole, Kinsenso, Kinshasa, Kinsuka/pecheurs, Kintanbo, Limete, Lingwala, and Masina. " "Floods caused by torrential rain and the swelling of the Congo river in recent weeks have left thousands of people without shelter in central and northern parts of Congo," CAUSE:Rain
235	C. Kenya	Kiambu District - River Riara from Kiambu town to Githurai area in Nairobi.	11/17/02	11/20/02	4	12	2,000		Dam/Levy, break or release			1		Tpz	920	0.4	"Over 100 homes were swept away by the raging waters which covered over 10 km. " "The water swept everything in its path for another 16 km to Githurai area in Nairobi"CAUSE:Dam Break
234	S. France	Southeastern France -  Hyeres, Ain, Southeaast of Lyon. Besancon, Valence area. Rivers: Rhone, Saone and Loire and tributaries.	11/16/02	11/20/02	5	1	2,500		Heavy rain			1		TsuCs	4,840	1.1	"On Saturday, some 2,000 people were evacuated southeast of the city of Lyon as the Rhone, Saone and Loire rivers and their tributaries rose over warning levels"CAUSE:Rain
233	Nova Scotia	Halifax area. Greenwood, Kings Co.,  Shearwater, Windsor. Gaspereau River in Annapolis Valley.	11/14/02	11/17/02	4				Heavy rain			1		TsuCpSs**	4,330	0.9	"Nova Scotia logged record amounts of rainfall over the last two days … more than 12 centimetres of rain in 36 hours."CAUSE:Rain
232	UK and Ireland	UK -- North and northeast Scotland - Elgin in Moray. Forres, Rothes, Craigellachie, Dufftown, Tayside, Aberdeen area, Aberdeenshire village of Aboyne, Angus. Rivers: Lossie, Mosset Burn, Divvie, Spey, South Esk, Dee, Isla. Southwest England - Devon and Cornwall - St Ives, Penzance, Redruth, Hayle, Newlyn, Crowlas. Rivers: Exe, Stennac, Middle and Lower River Stour. Southwest Wales - Milford Haven, Carmarthenshire Eastern Ireland - North Dublin, Kildare, Meath (Dunboyne),. Wexford (Blackwater), Waterford, Gorey, Wicklow, Clonee, Mulhuddart, Blanchardstown.  River Tolka	11/14/02	11/25/02	12	1	400		Heavy rain		50 Dublin 180 Elgin	3		C	11,750	8.1	"In St Ives, Cornwall water levels rose by over five feet overnight as the River Stennac burst its banks.  " " [Elgin] Inspector Stewart Milne of Grampian Police said the floods had been "the worst in living memory". He said there were reports that the flood water reached 4ft high in some place." Dublin "This is the worst devastation this area has experienced for 50 years." "Around 200 people in Moray had to flee at the weekend as the worst floods since 1829 cascaded through their homes. " "FLOOD levels on the River Dee reached their highest level for 30 years yesterday, after 48 hours of torrential rain lashed the north-east of Scotland."CAUSE:Rain
231	Peru	Junin Province - mudslides and flooding - towns: San Pedro, San Francisco de Panama, Palcapampa and Pacasmayo. Satipo. Rio Blanco	11/09/02	11/12/02	4	4	100		Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tsu	6,100	1.1	"At least four people died and an undetermined number are missing after mudslides caused when a river overflowed its banks in the Peruvian province of Junin" "Persistent downpours caused the Rio Blanco to overflow its banks, damaging scores of homes and washing away stretches of highway and crops"CAUSE:Rain
230	Trinidad	Central and northern Trinidad -central Caroni Basin, St Joseph river. east/west Tamana area, parts of Macoya, Cumuto, Tunapuna, Tacarigua,	11/05/02	11/20/02	16	3	300	$3,300,000	Tropical cyclone	See notes		1		Tpo	880	0.8	"...described "as unusual", Tuesday's floods, which resulted from a tropical depression that dumped several inches of rain on the country" "Heavy rains over the past two weeks have left a number of villages and towns, mainly in Central Trinidad, flooded and the Met Office on Wednesday warned of further rains that could lead to additional problems for a number of residents who have reported millions of dollars in lost property and animals."CAUSE:Rain
229	C. Vietnam	Central coastal provinces of Khanh Hoa (Ninh Hoa, Dien Khanh ) and Phu Yen. Thu Duc District.  Rivers: Dinh, Cai, Sai Gon.	11/03/02	11/07/02	5	2		$200,000	Heavy rain			1	1,000	Tpz	8,700	1.5	"Floods in Khanh Hoa province pulled down two houses, sank four ships, damaged two bridges, and inundated provincial roads. Rivers in the province are swelling fast. The Dinh river's water level measured at 5.89 m, or 0.89 m above the highest warning level while that of the Cai river has risen to 8.79 m at 13:00 hrs of Monday. "CAUSE:Rain
228	S. India	Tamil Nadu state - Cauvery delta and Chennai City. Mayiladuthurai, Pudukottai, Meenambakkam.	10/31/02	11/04/02	5	20	300		Heavy rain			1		Tpz	22,700	2.4	"The week-long downpour has caused extensive damage to property. Roads have been flooded and hun dreds of people displaced from slums have been forced to take shelter in school buildings."CAUSE:Rain
227	Columbia	Landslides and flooding in El Dorado, Canonico and San Mateo near Montecristo in the San Lucas mountains. Bolivar province.	10/29/02	10/31/02	3	60	2,000		Heavy rain	See notes		1		Tpz	6,900	0.9	"After heavy rain, the gravel and mudflow swept through several small villages and farmsteads in Bolivar province." "heavy rains caused several rivers in the region some 700 kilometers (420 miles) north of Bogota to overflow, causing mudslides to cascade down upon three villages last Tuesday"CAUSE:Rain
226	S. China	Guangdong province - Shaoguan city, Lechang district, Ruyuan county	10/28/02	11/02/02	6	&