Flooding can be devastating in every way, from property and infrastructure damage to loss of life and the wider health effects. As flooding becomes more common for more people on our warming planet, we investigate the consequences on the human body. Flooding is the most frequent natural catastrophe in the world, affecting over two billion people between 1998 and 2017 and accounting for 44% of global disasters. As climate change puts the world more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, more people are likely to be affected by flooding and its devastation, including serious health consequences.
How can flooding affect your health?
The effects on the health of natural disasters such as flooding vary, can cascade, and simultaneously affect anyone or any group. Floods can cause immediate and long-term impacts on human health directly and indirectly. Additionally, the health of communities affected by flooding can be impacted. Responders to disasters, health professionals, and essential service providers could all be affected. When natural disasters like floods occur, attention is paid to the financial impact, property damage, and human casualties. But, in several ways, these disasters overlap with health-related concerns. If you are looking for a firm, you may search for “restoration companies near me” to immediately assist you regarding these unwanted situations.
The impact of flooding on health care can be severe because of damaged infrastructure, the loss of health professionals, and a lack of access to medical care that could delay treatment or treatment for those in need. The economic impact or loss of property and livelihoods due to a flood can cause financial hardship, affecting mental health and the sorrow of losing loved ones. The most common health issues brought on by floods are outlined below.
Diseases
In times of flooding, illness, and outbreaks is a different primary health hazard. These may manifest as diseases caused by drinking or coming in contact with contaminated water. Diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever as well as leptospirosis can be examples. There is also the possibility of transmission by intermediate vector species that carry the disease pathogen, such as mosquitoes. Dengue fever and malaria are two diseases transmitted by vectors resulting from flooding. After floodwaters recede and the water remains stagnant in gardens, areas of the home or even farming areas can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, leading to diseases like dengue or malaria, a water damage repair unit is very much needed during these times.
Mental Health
Mental health issues, which might arise later on, are often not considered and unstudied compared to the immediate health impacts of flooding. So far, it is known that the experience of surviving a flooding disaster can affect people long after the event and sometimes for years. Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychosis, and insomnia are typical mental health issues that develop following flooding. Cleaning up, recovering, and reconstructing can be stressful, especially if the public and private sectors do not adequately manage it.
Nutrition
There is no evidence to support this; malnutrition or undernutrition is another health impact caused by flooding, and flood victims are known to consume less during or after flooding. They often need help accessing regular food supplies. Flooding can also severely disrupt the food system, including agriculture. This can impact the quantity and quality of food items, leading to food insecurity and inadequate nutrition.
Conclusion
Warmer temperatures can increase precipitation, causing extreme weather events, which can lead to flooding. Adaptability is crucial in managing the health impacts of flooding and mitigation efforts like emissions reductions. The effects of flooding on health will only get worse unless we take immediate and decisive actions to address climate change.
