The floods left affected populations with limited food and sources of livelihood, which combined with other factors left the vulnerable to epidemics and infectious diseases including water borne and lung related illnesses, and the spread of COVID-19. Short and longer term health consequences Short term consequences The 2020 Afghanistan floods led to multiple casualties, health issues, and property damage. Short-term health impacts from the flooding were death and an increase in risk of malaria and cholera spread due to the increase in unsanitary, standing water. Although the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned of an increase in cholera, the assumption that cholera rates will always rise after flooding events has been questioned in the past especially in areas, such as Afghanistan, where cholera is not endemic. The number of casualties/people affected varied depending on the province where the flooding occurred, with political strife and other social issues impacting the numbers of missing persons and casualties reported. In April 2020, OCHA estimated that 17,000 people had been affected by flooding until that point in Afghanistan. As flooding continued well into August of that same year, numbers are most likely greater. Other additional short-term impacts from the flooding were housing loss, agricultural land/crop losses, and displacement. With a high quantity of people leaving the flooded areas and staying in neighboring communities until they could return to their homes, COVID-19 transmission was greater in the provinces affected by flooding. Short-term impacts such as housing and crop losses also often transmute into long-term issues, such as an increase in economic instability (and lack of access to proper healthcare), malnutrition, and lack of access to sanitary water sources (affecting the spread of communicable diseases). Natural (and human-impacted) disasters increase the percentages of premature “Years of Life Lost”, even when death was not the initial short-term impact. In regard to children, they face serious physical and mental health impacts when losing a parent as immediate loss of economic stability, food safety, and shelter generate a multitude of physical and mental health issues, both short- and long-term. Organizations such as NATO and OCHA have worked to assist with these issues impacting local people from the flooding and various plans have been proposed for disaster risk management in the area to prevent future issues. Long term consequences The impacts of the 2020 floods had lasting impacts on an already at-risk population. By exacerbating one of the rural region's biggest