Floods are destructive natural disasters that can wreak havoc on a community, causing physical damage, mental distress, and economic calamity.
Cheryl Bettigole, executive director of the Penn Center for Public Health and a professor of clinical family medicine and community health at the Perelman School of Medicine, says the most urgent risks at the onset of a flood are drowning, electrocution, or other injuries that can occur when people are in or near the water.