Hi Tonus,
" I have no issue with the idea that God, as creator of the universe and giver of life, has the authority to take it back as He pleases. I take no account of any bugs I might step on when I am walking outside..."
Thank you for sharing so eloquently your sentiments about God based on the flood account. I understand to some degree where you are coming from but I can't agree with your analogous assumption that God is uncaring.
God indeed took account of what He was about to do to mankind. He was grieved by the level of depravity mankind had sunk to and the judgment that this depravity called for. Noah reminds me of the prophets unsuccessfully calling Israel to repentance. I am also reminded of Christ weeping over Jerusalem because He knew what their rejection of Him meant.
And I disagree that God is unpredictable. God is predictably bent on destroying sin from the universe....(the cross is evidence of this) and saving and transforming an innumerable multitude of sinners into saints...as John 3:16 confirms.