On Exmoor, in south-west England, in the summer of 1952, almost 230 mm of rain fell in 24 hours on to land that was already waterlogged.
The water drained northward, carried in two rivers, the East and West Lyn, which enter the sea together at the small village of Lynmouth, falling some 300 m in rather more than 1 km.
Unable to carry the volume of water, during the night of 15 and 16 August both rivers flooded and the overflow from the West Lyn cut a new channel that took it through Lynmouth, rejoining the original course at the mouth.
Houses, roads, and bridges were destroyed, an estimated 40000 tons of trees, soil, boulders, and rubble and masonry from collapsed structures piled up in the village, and 31 people were killed.
The disaster was caused by nothing more than rain.
Lynmouth was subsequently restored and is now a popular and attractive holiday resort.
Text Source: Basics of Environmental Science Book