According to a 2017 report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), North Korea is experiencing its most severe drought since 2001. While the more obvious consequences of this include food shortages, there is another major impact to consider — severe flooding. Major flooding impacted the country every year from 2010 to 2016 and will continue into the foreseeable future.

During a drought, soil becomes dry and compact without moisture over extended periods of time, making it more difficult for the ground to absorb rainfall. If an area impacted by drought is suddenly hit with large amounts of precipitation, major flooding will soon follow. California, for example, experienced an extended drought from 2011-2017. When the rain picked up in 2017, California witnessed large amounts of flooding throughout the state.

The same thing will continue to happen in North Korea. The difference being, California is able to handle strain on its flood network, whereas North Korea does not have the comparable infrastructure to support such natural disasters. For instance, when Typhoon Lionrock passed over North Hamgyong Province in August 2016, the area was devastated, including the loss of at least 133 lives, damage to 30,000 homes, and displacement of almost 70,000 people.