Fast-moving floodwater poses hidden danger for cities

New research, led by Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Lea Dasallas at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), shows that even shallow floodwater can be powerful enough to knock people off their feet or sweep vehicles away if it is moving fast enough. However, most public flood maps still focus almost entirely on how deep water gets, not how quickly it flows. "Floodwater doesn't just pool—it flows, and when it flows quickly, even relatively shallow water can become extremely dangerous," Dr. Dasallas says.