Floods are the most common of all natural disasters. Most communities can experience some type of flooding after heavy rain, heavy thunderstorms, or snow melt in the winter. Floods can come on slowly or quickly, but usually develop over a period of several days. Dam failures are likely to result in the worst floods. When a dam bursts, a huge amount of water is suddenly released downstream, destroying any water sources in its path.Floodwaters can be extremely dangerous. The force of six inches of fast-moving water can knock people off their feet. The best protection against flooding is to leave the area and take shelter on more enclosed ground. Flash floods are usually caused by intense storms that cause heavy rainfall in a short period of time. Flash floods occur with little or no warning and can peak within minutes. Flash floods move at very fast speeds and can sweep rocks, tear trees, destroy buildings and obliterate bridges. Walls of water can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet and are often accompanied by large amounts of debris. The best response to any sign of flash flooding is to move immediately and quickly to higher ground answer question: 1 what is flash flood? 2 what is the difference between floods anh flash floods?