Why would you want to be flooded?

Many people live in flood zones, the soil is rich and through the centuries it's been common for societies to surround a river for food, water, trade, and travel. In modern society, many people still live extremely close to rivers that can flood at least once a year. Why?

My grandmother lived near a river in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and in the 1972 flood, her house was destroyed after being caked in mud and all possessions on the flooded floors being lost. Memories destroyed and airlifted by the national guard, she had to be strong to deal with the after effects.

As a single mother, she spent weeks in her spare time scrubbing the mud and disgusting filth from her home and could not pay to replace all that was lost.

In this day and age, the oceans are rising and the lower class is growing. People cannot afford to have homes that flood, risking the lives of many.

One can assume that those homes would be cheaper, but that is not the case.

According to BBC, people see severe flooding as a once-in-a-lifetime event. Prospective buyers see how they may be able to “flood proof” previously flooded homes instead of staying away from them.

People do not see the prospect of the flood to their homes. People say, sure their house is on a floodplain, but it’s slightly raised and fine.

Others don’t move from the flood zones because they say the “inconvenience of a flood every few years is worth it.”

The flooding costs for the residents is nothing compared to the economic costs of the damages though.

Wetlands help prevent flooding, but they are becoming few to none, especially in the United States as people build on them. The wetlands not only prevent flooding but also create homes for a plethora of creatures and clean the water.

Basically, people are causing more problems for themselves and buying homes on a river will only cause catastrophe.