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Turn around, don’t drown! Floodwaters are often much deeper than they appear. Never wade into floodwaters. These waters are deep and can have floating debris, poisonous snakes, and other dangers.

In 2020, floods caused $1 billion in property and crop damage, and in 2021, floods caused over $3 billion in property and crop damage. Floodwaters not only inundate and ruin crops, but also erode the soil, and introduce crops to the diseases that are in the floodwaters. Floodwaters are considered contaminated because they can carry sewage and other pollutants. Floodwaters likely contain chemicals and can carry infectious diseases. There is no way to know where the floodwater came from or what it mixed with; therefore, you do not know what kind of health dangers are lurking in floodwaters. Additionally, if the floodwater is stagnant for too long, it can cause toxic mold to start growing. Floods also leave many people trapped in their homes or shelters and prevent people from accessing public services, such as health care. Flash floods come with a unique danger because they are strong enough to roll boulders, rip large trees out of the

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What Makes a Flood