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Eugene -Springfield Area Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan <br />2. Hazard Descriptions <br />Risk of Impact <br />Though a flood -induced dam failure is slightly more likely to occur than an <br />earthquake -induced failure, the likelihood of such an incident happening is still low. <br />Epidemics <br />The risk of a flood -induced epidemic is low unless there is significant population <br />displacement and/or water source contamination.53 A study in the American <br />Journal of Clinical Medicine determined the possibility of contracting a person -to - <br />person, waterborne, or foodbome communicable disease during a flood is a <br />moderate risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) does note an increase in <br />water- and vector- borne diseases seen with floods. Flood waters also increase the <br />risk of infection. <br />The only epidemic -prone infection is leptospirosis which is transmitted from items <br />contaminated with rodent urine. Vector -borne diseases often seen after flooding are <br />malaria and West Nile virus. Waterborne diseases include leptospirosis, hepatitis A, <br />and cholera.54 <br />History of Impact in Eugene -Springfield <br />There have been no cases of flood -induced epidemics in the Eugene -Springfield <br />area. Nationally, there have been several increases in communicable diseases after <br />a water -related disaster, but the majority of these were small. The major factor in <br />flood -induced epidemics is the contamination of drinking water. The risk of <br />outbreaks can be minimized, however, if the risk is recognized and alternative water <br />treatment measures utilized, both of which occurred in the Iowa and Missouri <br />floods of 1993. <br />Risk of Impact <br />Considering the odds of an epidemic increase after a flood, some actions, possibly <br />significant ones, need to be taken to prevent an epidemic from occurring. The risk <br />from this impact is categorized as moderate. <br />Hazardous Materials <br />Though the size and scope of a HazMat release is largely dependent on the type of <br />material involved, the release of the material may be caused by natural hazards such <br />as floods and rain. Whether it is biological waste released from backed up sewer <br />systems, the release of household chemicals, or large-scale releases from chemical <br />plants, almost all floods release some hazardous materials. These incidents can <br />53 "Flooding and communicable diseases fact sheet." WHO. Accessed November 2017. <br />http://www.who.int/hae/techgLidance/ems/flood_eds/en/ <br />54 Ibid <br />2-34 January 2020 <br />