The Worst Floods in History

Water can be incredibly dangerous, a powerful force strong enough to wipe entire cities off the map. Floods are one of nature’s scariest natural disasters, and the worst floods in history have swept millions to their doom. People killed in floods often drown, but that is not the only source of death. A lot of fatalities are caused by the aftermath of the flood. Starvation due to famine or diseases spread via water contamination have claimed many flood victims historically.

Flood deaths are a common threat throughout the world, with some places being particularly prone to floods. The deadliest floods in history brought havoc and chaos on towns and cities. Flood waters can disrupt entire ecosystems, destroy economies, and send advanced societies back to the stone age in an instant. These floods live on as legends, an ominous reminder that we should never take the power of nature for granted. To learn more, browse this list of the worst floods around the world.

1931 Yangtze River Flood
Date: August 18, 1931
Location: China
Death Toll: Estimated 3.7 million Considered to be one of the worst natural disasters in human history, the great Yangtze River flood of 1931 was one of the deadliest single events of all time. After a period of extreme rainfall, the highly populated Yangtze River basin began to flood. The waters would spread to cover an area of roughly 500-square-miles, forcing half a million people to evacuate. The biggest killer of this flood wasn’t the water, however. Most deaths occurred due to famine and disease. Rice fields were completely obliterated by the flood, leading to mass starvation in many cities in southern China. The polluted river water also spread infectious diseases throughout the population. Typhoid and dysentery ran rampant, and China’s government was ill prepared to deal with the fallout because of an ongoing civil war.
1887 Yellow River Flood
Date: September 28, 1887
Location: China
Death Toll: 900,000 – 2,000,000The Hwang Ho, popularly known as the Yellow River in English, is historically the deadliest river on Earth. It has even earned the nickname “China’s Sorrow” due to the immense toll it has taken on the local population. The 3,000 mile-long river snakes across Northern China from its source in the Qinghai mountains, way above sea level. In September of 1887, heavy rain saw the river rise above the dikes meant to protect the local population from rising flood waters. The dike failure led to the flooding of 50,000 square miles of land, displacing two million people, and killing 900,000 in the blink of an eye. Famine and disease would subsequently take as many lives as the flood waters themselves in one of the worst humanitarian crises of all time.
1938 Yellow River Flood
Date: June 1938
Location: China
Death Toll: 500,000 – 800,000While most floods can be considered natural disasters, the 1938 flood of the Yellow River was a deliberate act of warfare. The Chinese had been fighting a brutal Japanese invasion, one that threatened to bring an end to thousands of years of Chinese history. As a last-ditch effort, Commander Chiang Kai-shek ordered the destruction of the river’s dike system. This unleashed a wave of flood waters that would spread across the country for nine years. The act is believed to be the most devastating environmental attack of all time, both in terms of environmental destruction and loss of human life. Four million people were forced from their homes as the flood spread. The water was not be contained until 1947, years after the Japanese were defeated. The Chinese government denied their involvement in the flooding until news broke in 1945.
1975 Banqiao Dam Failure
Date: August 8, 1975
Location: China
Death Toll: 171,000 – 230,000The Banqiao dam, located on the Ru River, failed on the night of August 8th, 1975. A massive typhoon, one of the region’s most powerful on record, dropped an unprecedented amount of rain on the area. There are reports that rain was coming down so hard that local birds were being killed mid-flight, littering the ground below with their corpses. The region received more rain in one day than they normally got in a year, and it proved too much for the Banqiao dam. When the dam broke, it sent a 20-foot tidal wave across the region. The massive failure of this dam set off a chain reaction and led to the breaking of 62 additional dams. The flooding was catastrophic and led to localized famines and plagues. There are reports of people eating the rotting carcasses of animals floating down the river in order to survive. The most unfortunate part of this whole story is that it didn’t need to happen. One hydrologist who worked on the project, Chen Xing, had alerted his superiors to multiple weaknesses and design flaws in the dam. He even provided solutions to the issues, but he was removed from the project and criticized for his insubordination.
1935 Yangtze River Flood
Date: 1935
Location: China
Death Toll: 145,000About 70 to 75 percent of China’s floods are thanks to the Yangtze River, the longest river in country. The 1930s were a particularly hard time for the people living on the shores of the Yangtze, as the decade had seen two of the worst floods in human history. While not quite as severe as the 1931 flood, the terrors of that event were still fresh when the 1935 flood struck. Millions of people would suffer at the hands of the Yangtze, and at least 145,000 people lost their lives. Disease and famine followed the water and were responsible for much of the carnage.
1530 St. Felix’s Flood
Date: November 5, 1530
Location: Holy Roman Empire (modern day city of Reimerswaal)
Death Toll: 100,000+St. Felix’s Flood is still considered the worst flood disaster in European history. The flood completely destroyed the Dutch city of Reimerswaal, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. A further 18 villages were also destroyed on the day that would eventually be known as “Evil Saturday.” Reimerswaal stood slightly above sea level, so the flooding turned the city into an island. Over the years, repeated flooding eventually drove the few remaining stragglers out of the city for good. Today the city has gone the way of Atlantis, completely submerged in the sea. Where the city once stood is now home to a massive population of mussels, and a fishery industry has developed around them.
1971 Hanoi and Red River Delta Flood
Date: August 1, 1971
Location: North Vietnam
Death Toll: Estimated 100,000Overshadowed by the extended military action in the country, the Red River Delta flood was one of the worst natural disasters in Vietnam’s history. This particular flood is shrouded in mystery, as no one is really sure exactly what caused it. We do know that the flood struck in communist North Vietnam and that at least 100,000 people died. Due to the conflict between Americans and North Vietnamese, information from the North was extremely limited. It is likely that heavy rainfall overloaded the dikes of Hanoi, resulting in the torrential flood. The flood would exacerbate issus of famine and disease in the already war torn country.
1911 Jiangsu-Anhui Flood
Date: May 16, 1911
Location: China
Death Toll: Over 100,000The Jiangsu-Anhui flood is often referred to as the 1911 Yangtze River flood, although that is a misnomer. This mega flood was the result of two rivers flooding simultaneously, the Yangtze and the Huai. Intense rainfall raised the water levels of the rivers to a dangerous point, leading to a massive flood. Flood would wipe out the crops of Central and Eastern China, causing regional starvation. Roughly 30,000 square miles of land were flooded in the coming days, creating millions of refugees. Food shortages led to riots and a spike in crime as civil discourse collapsed. Much of the chaos would be exacerbated by the onset of the Chinese Civil War in 1912.
1287 St. Lucia’s Flood
Date: December 14, 1287
Location: Holy Roman Empire
Death Toll: Over 50,000The Netherlands is no stranger to flooding. The small but influential nation is known for its boggy terrain and elaborate system of dams and dikes. Much of the country sits on land reclaimed from the sea, but not all floods can be fought. In 1287, a massive storm hit the Dutch coasts and sparked a flood that would eradicate several villages. The flood was so powerful that the inland village of Amsterdam suddenly became a coastal town, and the modern city still rests on the shore today. Areas of England were also affected by this storm, but the casualties were not nearly as high as those in the Netherlands.
1949 Eastern Guatemala Flood
Date: September 27, 1949
Location: Guatemala
Death Toll: 40,000A tropical storm turned into a hurricane off the southern coast of Guatemala, leading to one of the region’s most devastating natural disasters. Information regarding the extent of the damage done is scarce, but some estimates put the death toll as high as 40,000. The flood was part of a particularly intense hurricane season that struck North America from both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
1954 Yangtze River Flood
Date: June – September 1954
Location: Hubei Province in China
Death Toll: More than 30,000Foods of China’s Yangtze River are common. In 1954, one of the deadlier Yangtze River floods occurred due to a rainy season that was both unusually long and heavy. In late spring, the waters began to rise. The government made several efforts to stop the flooding, such as opening flood gates, but these attempts were unfortunately unable to stop the flood as the waters rose to historical heights. Over 30,000 people died in the disaster.
1974 Bangladesh Flood
Date: April – June 1974
Location: Bangladesh
Death Toll: 28,700Heavy rainfall led to a series of floods in Bangladesh’s Brahmaputra River between April and June of 1974. In the initial flood, an estimated 28,700 people lost their lives. However, that was only the beginning of the tragedy. The floods wiped out crops throughout the country, leading to one of the deadliest famines in world history. At the time, the United States had placed a food embargo on Bangladesh, which severely limited the country’s ability to import food. As a result, millions went hungry. The famine following the flood left roughly 1.5 million people dead.
1362 St. Marcellus Flood
Date: January 16, 1362
Location: Ireland, Britain, and northern Germany
Death Toll: 25,000High winds that started in Dublin set the 1362 St. Marcellus Flood in motion. The storm soon moved to England, destroying thousands of trees and causing damage to many structures. Once the storm reached the North Sea, its forces combined with the high tide to cause a massive storm surge that smashed into nearby ports and flooded many cities. In the end, roughly 25,000 people lost their lives in the disaster.
1999 Vargas Mudslides
Date: December 1999
Location: Vargas, Venezuela
Death Toll: Between 10,000 and 30,000 Rainstorms lasting 10 days caused a series of mudslides along the Venezuelan coast, particularly the state of Vargas. In addition to the mudslides, a series of floods caused even more damage for the region. Then president Hugo Chávez brought in military aid and the American and Red Cross agencies also joined the relief efforts. However, many lives were still lost in the disaster. Between 10,000 and 30,000 people died due to a combination of flooding and mudslides.
1570 All Saints’ Flood
Date: November 1, 1570
Location: The Netherlands (especially Antwerp, Friesland, and Zeeland)
Death Toll: More than 20,000Following a prolonged period of storms, numerous dikes collapsed along the shores of the Netherlands. As a result, the entire coast was flooded. Those living near the waters were particularly vulnerable. While the exact numbers were never recorded, it’s likely more than 20,000 people lost their lives in the disaster.