Editing Flood (section)

=== Health impacts ===
[[File:FEMA_-_37590_-_Community_Flooding_in_Florida.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Coastal flooding]] in a community in Florida, United States]]
[[File:Flooding after 1991 cyclone.jpg|thumb|Flooding after [[1991 Bangladesh cyclone]], which killed around 140,000&nbsp;people]]
Fatalities connected directly to floods are usually caused by [[drowning]]; the waters in a flood are very deep and have strong [[Current (fluid)|currents]].<ref name="alderman">{{cite journal |last1=Alderman |first1=Katarzyna |last2=Turner |first2=Lyle R. |last3=Tong |first3=Shilu |date=June 2012 |title=Floods and human health: A systematic review |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:346602/UQ346602_OA.pdf |journal=Environment International |volume=47 |pages=37–47 |doi=10.1016/j.envint.2012.06.003 |pmid=22750033|bibcode=2012EnInt..47...37A }}</ref> [[Deaths]] do not just occur from drowning, deaths are connected with [[dehydration]], [[heat stroke]], [[heart attack]] and any other [[illness]] that needs [[medical supplies]] that cannot be delivered.<ref name="alderman" />

Injuries can lead to an excessive amount of morbidity when a flood occurs. Injuries do not just affect those who were directly in the flood: [[rescue]] teams and even people delivering supplies can sustain an injury. Injuries can occur before, during and after the flood.<ref name="alderman" /> During floods accidents occur with falling [[debris]] or any of the many fast moving objects in the water. After the flood rescue attempts are when large numbers injuries can occur.<ref name="alderman" />

[[Communicable diseases]] are increased due to many [[pathogens]] and [[bacteria]] that are being transported by the water. There are many [[waterborne diseases]] such as [[cholera]], [[hepatitis A]], [[hepatitis E]] and [[diarrheal diseases]], to mention a few. [[Gastrointestinal disease]] and diarrheal diseases are very common due to a lack of clean water during a flood. Clean water supplies are often contaminated when flooding occurs. Hepatitis A and E are common because of the lack of [[sanitation]] in the water and in living quarters, depending on where the flood is and how prepared the [[community]] is for a flood.<ref name="alderman" />

When floods hit, people can lose nearly all their crops, livestock, and food reserves and face starvation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ahadzie |first1=Divine Kwaku |last2=Mensah |first2=Henry |last3=Simpeh |first3=Eric |date=2022 |title=Impact of floods, recovery, and repairs of residential structures in Ghana: insights from homeowners |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10708-021-10425-2 |journal=GeoJournal |language=en |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=3133–3148 |doi=10.1007/s10708-021-10425-2 |bibcode=2022GeoJo..87.3133A |s2cid=234825689 |issn=0343-2521}}</ref>

Floods also frequently damage [[power transmission]] and sometimes [[power generation]], which then has [[knock-on effect]]s caused by the loss of power. This includes loss of drinking [[water treatment]] and water supply, which may result in loss of drinking water or severe water contamination. It may also cause the loss of sewage disposal facilities. Lack of clean water combined with [[human sewage]] in the flood waters raises the risk of waterborne diseases, which can include [[typhoid]], [[giardia]], [[cryptosporidium]], [[cholera]] and many other diseases depending upon the location of the flood.{{Fix|text=Merge this list with previous list}}

Damage to roads and transport infrastructure may make it difficult to mobilize aid to those affected or to provide emergency health treatment.

Flooding can cause chronically wet houses, leading to the growth of [[indoor mold]] and resulting in adverse health effects, particularly respiratory symptoms.<ref>Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Scientific Findings Resource Bank (IAQ-SFRB), [http://www.iaqscience.lbl.gov/dampness-risks-house.html "Health Risks or Dampness or Mold in Houses"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213929/http://www.iaqscience.lbl.gov/dampness-risks-house.html|date=2013-10-04}}</ref> [[Respiratory diseases]] are common after the disaster has occurred. This depends on the amount of [[water damage]] and [[Mold (fungus)|mold]] that grows after an incident. Research suggests that there will be an increase of 30–50% in adverse respiratory health outcomes caused by dampness and mold exposure for those living in coastal and wetland areas. Fungal contamination in homes is associated with increased allergic rhinitis and asthma.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Demain |first=Jeffrey G. |date=24 March 2018 |title=Climate Change and the Impact on Respiratory and Allergic Disease: 2018 |journal=Current Allergy and Asthma Reports |language=en |volume=18 |issue=4 |page=22 |doi=10.1007/s11882-018-0777-7 |issn=1534-6315 |pmid=29574605 |s2cid=4440737}}</ref> [[Vector (epidemiology)|Vector-borne]] diseases also increase, due to the residual still water after the floods have settled. The diseases that are vector borne are [[malaria]], [[dengue]], [[West Nile virus|West Nile]], and [[yellow fever]].<ref name="alderman" /> Floods may have a huge impact on victims' psychosocial [[integrity]]. People suffer from a wide variety of losses and [[Stress (psychological)|stress]]. One of the most treated illnesses in long-term health problems are [[Depression (mood)|depression]] caused by the flood and all the [[tragedy]] that flows with one.<ref name="alderman" />

==== Loss of life ====
{{Main|List of deadliest floods}}

Below is a list of the deadliest floods worldwide, showing events with death tolls at or above 100,000 individuals.
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccc;"
! Death toll !! Event !!Location !!Year
|-
||2,500,000–3,700,000<ref>[http://www.nbc10.com/news/4030540/detail.html Worst Natural Disasters In History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421043514/http://www.nbc10.com/news/4030540/detail.html|date=2008-04-21}} (2012-06-07), Retrieved on 2012-06-12</ref> || [[1931 China floods]] || [[China]] || 1931
|-
||900,000–2,000,000 || [[1887 Yellow River flood]] || [[China]] || 1887
|-
||500,000–700,000 || [[1938 Yellow River flood]] || China || 1938
|-
||231,000 || [[Banqiao Dam]] failure, result of [[Typhoon Nina (1975)|Typhoon Nina]]. Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died from subsequent disease. || China || 1975
|-
||230,000 || [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|2004 Indian Ocean tsunami]] || [[Indonesia]] || 2004
|-
||145,000 || 1935 [[Yangtze]] river flood || China || 1935
|-
||100,000+ || [[St. Felix's flood]], [[storm surge]]|| [[Netherlands]] || 1530
|-
||100,000 || [[Hanoi]] and [[Red River Delta]] flood || [[North Vietnam]] || 1971
|-
||100,000 || 1911 [[Yangtze]] river flood || China || 1911
|}