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Since I pretty thoroughly outline my stories before I start writing, I get the "flow" in most sections, start to finish... in fact, I usually wait until I get the "flow" for the first chapter that I officially start writing.
Certain transitional moments need a different kind of attention, in order to make sure one section dovetails with another, and I don't see much of a "flow" there. But overall, for me, about 85-90% of any novel "flows."
Following your analogy, I sometimes, but not always, get a "flood," where I'm so deeply committed to the moment that I just knock out 2-4 powerful chapters in a sitting, usually the climax of the book. I usually have to go back and perform the most triage on those sections, because, like a flood, a lot of material can be overlooked, subtexts can be subsumed by hyper-activity, and mistakes can be made and missed in the chaos of the moment.
I prefer "flow" to "flood," as it means the story that comes out is more coherent. I just have to be more careful to maintain the excitement of the "flood" in the appropriate moments.
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