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Background

The Flood is an extremely adaptive, dangerous, and expendable parasitic lifeform that was originally encountered in the Milky Way Galaxy by the Forerunners on planet G617 g1 by a Forerunner pioneer group. It is a highly infectious viral supercell, and the cause of the "Forerunner-Flood War" which lasted approximately 300 years. It is the reason that the Halo Array was constructed, a last ditch effort by the Forerunners to preserve biological diversity in the galaxy. After exhausting every last strategic option, the Halos were fired, resulting in the elimination of the original Flood infestation.

The Flood exists in a fairly stable state in the absence of a Gravemind. They lack the ability to spawn spontaneously. They form around sentient life forms, specifically those that are self-aware and capable of introspection. This stage of a Flood outbreak is known as the Feral Stage.

During its Feral Stage, the Flood is only capable of local coordination through use of pheromone-based communication. Research indicates that the content of said messages are of very limited complexity. Individual Combat and Carrier forms have access to the skills and memories of their host; however, once an outbreak establishes a viable Gravemind, the Coordinated Stage begins—and it is at this point the Flood becomes truly dangerous.

Synchronization among remote groups of varied forms and the use of occupational specializations by members within local and remote groups can no longer be accounted for by the use of pheromone-based communication. Group reactions to situational changes at a strategic level are instantaneous or near-instantaneous with no perceptible time lag attributable to distance. It has been theorized that post-Feral Stage Flood have some form of telepathy, although this has not been scientifically verified.

A Gravemind (like the Proto-Gravemind that gave rise to it) is the fusion of pure Flood Super Cells and the evolved complex neuro-system of one or more sentient entities. The control it exerts over the more mobile forms it creates is accurately likened to an entity's control over its own limbs. Ergo, during the Feral stage, control is localized at the individual level, but once an outbreak enters the Coordinated stage control is assumed by, and broadcast from, a central compound intelligence.

Although no data exists from any adequately controlled experiment, data gathered in the field suggests that if a mobile form is removed from the influence of the Gravemind coordinating its group of origin it will revert to a Feral Stage. Insufficient data exists on whether mobile forms of one Gravemind would be influenced by another Gravemind, though logic dictates this would be the case. However, because individual Graveminds are remarkably similar and are all striving for the same goal, it is likely that a distinction would be impossible to detect.

The Bestiarum states that the society of the Flood closely resembles an "utopian socialist ideal as there is no wealth, no poverty, no want, no crime, and no disease; every individual works for the advancement of the Flood as a whole". It also states that it "is unfortunate that their one overriding goal is to [butcher and consume] every other life form in the galaxy".

Developmental Stages

The Flood go through 4 distinct developmental changes.

  1. Feral stage is the lowest form: communicating via pheromones, and have the natural instinct to harvest enough calcium to establish a viable Gravemind. (Seen in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo Wars)
  2. Coordinated stage is when the Flood become truly dangerous; they now take orders from the Gravemind that was created in the first stage. (Seen in Halo 2)
  3. Interstellar stage allows the Flood to take control of most technology and spread throughout the galaxy to infect more hosts. (Seen in Halo 3)
  4. Intergalactic is the last known stage the Flood enters, theoretically, in which it utilizes all captured technology to depart to uninfected galaxies to further replicate. It is assumed that the Flood that had arrived in the Milky Way had descended from Intergalactic level Flood. (Seen in the Forerunner-Flood War).

Biology

The Flood, a parasitic species, infects individual organisms and causes them to undergo different stages of organized transformation into various "forms". A Flood's chosen form depends on the species of creature infested, and the usefulness of the infected body. All Flood biomass is made up of the differentiable Flood Super Cell. The Flood also exhibits a strange ability to alter the environment to suit their own needs.

The only known pathway for Flood reproduction and survival is by the infestation and assimilation of other species.

Capable of surviving extreme environments ranging from -75 to +53 degrees Celsius and even underwater (in early stages of life), the Flood can withstand harsh environments of all known colonized planets.

It would seem that the Flood can infest any living organism, but that they prefer hosts with a large brain capacity to accelerate the formation and expansion of the Gravemind hive intelligence and the Flood intelligence as a whole. They are only as intelligent as the beings they infect; therefore the more cunning the enemy, the more dangerous the Flood will be.

Neurological

Infection forms selectively target other species that possess sentient intelligence and are of sufficient biomass, and can infest living or lightly wounded dead bodies. Infection forms have long tendrils that pierce the skin of the host and find their way to the spinal cord. From here they synchronize with the host, matching frequencies with the host's nervous system and taking over brain functions, completely rewriting the psychology of the creature to the ravenous and voracious psyche of The Flood, although retaining higher-level cognitive abilities, such as combat techniques and technical knowledge which may be useful. However, resistance of the host is completely destroyed, as the original mind's memories are systematically erased, leaving only a simplistic and primal urge to assimilate other species and destroy them. During the early stages of infestation, when the host still retains its original consciousness, there are distinct somatosensory sensations: first the host's extremities grow numb and their lungs feel heavy. Then, the greater Flood intelligence begins to take over the mind, and sensation becomes increasingly indistinct: the host's vision seems to be "A gauzy white haze", but the host can make out shapes and the host can hear a low droning through the ordeal. Finally, once physiological mutilation occurs, the host can vaguely feel dramatic changes to its own body: the limbs feel to the host as if they are made of a spongy liquid and the lungs itch as well. However, the host can still control their limbs to some extent if the neurological contact with the infection form is weakened. They can use the vocal cords of Jiralhanae's, Humans, and Sangheili's to communicate as well as the moans they use as observed on The Covenant where the drop pod crashes into the third shield tower. If you hide behind one of the spires you can sometimes hear them say things such as: "Where is he?"(Uncommon), "Don't hide from me!"(Common), "You will be ours!"(Occasionally), "No skill." (IWHBYD skull required), "Get out of there!" (Occasionally) and "No obstacles will stop us...No retreating will halt us!" (Rare). It is likely that this is Gravemind speaking through the infected hosts, as he does this just before you team up with him towards the end of The Covenant. Gravemind can also speak through Tank Forms. However, it is unknown how he does this since they are Pure Flood matter, unless the Flood engineered Tank Forms to have vocal chords.

Physiological

Higher-level species capable of combat, such as Humans, Jiralhanae's, or Sangheili's, are selectively infected to become Combat Forms. Combat Forms retain the general profile of their original species, although they are significantly mutated. Organ-based systems' physiology are corrupted, organ-specific functions are decentralized, and body cavities are decayed, making hitbox-selective incapacitation impossible; organ functions are decentralized, thus, decapitation does not down a combat form. Furthermore, highly area-specific munitions, such as sniper rifle projectiles, are completely ineffective, as picking off selective areas of a combat form leads to no wide-scale physiological impediments, and the projectile will punch through the decayed flesh rapidly, exiting through the other side of the combat form without consequence. Combat forms also generate tentacles very quickly without regard for the skeletal structure of the host, with tentacles protruding from the combat form at odd locations, typically localized to the chest axial regions, such as the neck, armpits, or torso. A single arm is oftentimes mutated to a claw like or tentacle-like structure that splits into multiple angular, hand-like structures replacing the hand's usage, yet it will still be there. The musculature of the combat form dramatically changes as well, and the form is given prodigious arm and leg strength, allowing for heavy blows with its arm-like structures and for incredible speed and jumping height with its legs. Metabolic requirements, however, appear to be extreme on the organism: blood vessels become extremely prominent on the surface of the Combat Form, with thick and distinct blood-colored vessels spawning all across the creature's surface, most prominently so on the head.

Countermeasures

There is no confirmed way to effectively stop a Flood infection when an Infection Form attacks a host. However, Two possible exceptions are known. One of which is to contract Boren's Syndrome, a neurological condition where radiological exposure causes electrical anomalies in the host nervous system. The neural frequencies of the host are scrambled, although without major negative manifestations to the host. However, it has been suggested that during Flood infection, the infection form is unable to rewrite the psychology of the host, and is unable to proceed to large-scale physiological mutation as well for an unknown reason, although Flood DNA is spliced into host DNA, even imparting the host with increased regenerative capabilities. Avery J. Johnson, having Boren's Syndrome, escaped the containment facility in which The Flood attacked two squads of UNSC Marines. However, there is some reason to suspect that this was due to his past in the ORION Project, and that the Boren's Syndrome explanation was invented to hide it. The truth in this matter remains uncertain. In the novel Halo: The Flood, Cortana uses an electrical charge which she generates from Master Chief's suit to destroy an infection form that was infecting him.

While Boren's Syndrome left untreated may leave the victim immune to the Flood, leaving it untreated usually equates to death within a couple of years. There is said to be a one in a billion chance that research, from someone so inflicted with Boren's Syndrome in a way that they cannot be infected, could be carried on to produce a cure.

Since the Flood is a parasitic life form, they depend on other organisms for survival. Thus, the only logical foolproof way to eliminate them permanently is to take away their food sources. The Forerunners attempted this by bombing large population centers, but this was seen as one of their last resorts and as such was performed too late in the war to make much difference. The absolute last resort was the use of the Halo installations, which effectively destroyed all life in the galaxy and starved the Flood. However, the Forerunners' plan included some measures to preserve sentient life and return them to their home planets, allowing the Flood's "food source" to persist, while at the same time specimens were kept for analysis on Halo Installations, allowing the threat the Flood posed to be merely forestalled, not eradicated.

Environmental stimuli seem to have an effect on Flood metabolism. Halo installations typically artificially incorporate low temperature into environments suffering Flood outbreak and to create natural obstacles to Flood progress, regarded as Quarantine zones. At least one Flood Research Facility used low temperatures to keep its specimens inactive and dormant as it studied them. This may be the reasoning behind keeping Installation Control Rooms in low degree weather, impeding their occupation by the Flood. The Flood are also vulnerable to temperatures on the other end of the spectrum. Plasma weapons will burn through them, as well as Sentinel Beams, indicating that the Forerunners had determined energy weapons to be the best 'basic countermeasure' available to fight the Flood. The Flamethrower is also devastating to all forms of Flood, further indicating this weakness. It may be a side-effect of the Flood's conversion of the body into biomass, breaking down cellular integrity and increasing flammability.

Combat Behavior

While possessing an unusual sentient intelligence, with Combat Forms still retaining extremely high-level cognitive functions such as vehicular operation, lower level cognitive abilities, precise dexterity, and overall battlefield tactics, are notably lacking in the Flood, especially in their psychological and combat behavior. While the Gravemind coordinates Flood strategy on a galactic scale, small encounters are not coordinated between individual Flood warriors.
The Flood emphasizes "numerical superiority" in engagements and also aggressive swarming tactics.

The Flood follow a zealous and ravenous strategy with little target selectivity, aggressively attacking all hostiles in range. Furthermore, Flood tactics are based primarily on asymmetrical warfare: the Flood uses all types of its different forms to kill the enemies that it sees. Usually the Infection Forms, Combat Forms, Carrier Forms, and Tank Forms rush the enemy and attempt to quickly eliminate them. The Ranger Forms try to support their zealous comrades with ranged attacks. The Stalker Forms attempt to transform into a Tank or Ranger. The Combat Forms also utilize any weapon that they have picked up. While this strategy is observed to be a Zerg Rush, they aren't completely suicidal, since they usually dodge dangerous ordnance.

The Flood have a strong preference for close-range combat: combat forms possess abnormally strong melee attacks by whipping their tentacles, capable of dropping a SPARTAN-II MJOLNIR Armor’s shields in half with a single hit. Carrier forms cause tremendous devastation at close ranges, and their explosions are extremely devastating to friends and foes alike at close range, with the added benefit of disseminating infection forms in the immediate vicinity of enemies. Infection forms are capable of attacking only at point-blank ranges, exploding in damaging bursts when meeting a shielded opponent's personal energy shields or instantly grabbing hold of an unshielded enemy organism and infecting it. Combat forms can also use firearms, and have been seen clutching firearms in one of their hands (regardless of whether it is one-handed or two-handed). However, combat forms are extremely poor warriors at range with ranged weaponry: it is believed that the neurological ramifications of Flood infection significantly decrease accuracy, as well as weapon recoil if held in only one hand. The Flood are mostly only dangerous with heavy weaponry, such as the M19 Rocket Launcher or the M90 Shotgun, and are curiously ill skilled with close-quarters weapons such as the Energy Sword. However, it is still possible that a Flood with a Energy Sword can kill a fully shielded Elite or Spartan in one blow.

However, as mentioned previously, the Flood demonstrates a curious higher intelligence despite their poor combat aptitude and coordination. The Flood collectively learn any general information a species possess, even if only one member of that species is assimilated. For example, during the ill-fated raid on the Infinite Succor, after even one Sangheili was assimilated, all the Flood could open any doors and access any system on the ship immediately afterward, demonstrating that the Flood can share collective knowledge across their species. Furthermore, when the Flood assimilated the Prophet Legate, the Flood reflected the high-level knowledge of the Legate through its individual organisms to Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee, mocking him with the words, "the Forerunner could not defeat us...what chance you?". The Flood, however, reflect unusual knowledge in the individual psychologies of its individual species in processes facilitating increased infestation: The Flood were sighted gathering bodies in the corners of the Covenant ship Truth and Reconciliation, perhaps making it easier for Infection Forms to find hosts to reanimate. The Flood were also gathering body parts for a new Brain Form aboard the Infinite Succor.

Flood Combat forms have been sighted crudely operating Ghosts, Warthogs, Wraiths, and Scorpions in ground operations, although with slow deliberation and clumsy driving and accuracy. The assimilated crewmen of the UNSC Frigate In Amber Clad were also able to initiate a Slipspace micro-jump for the frigate and perform rudimentary maneuvering of the In Amber Clad, navigating the frigate from the atmosphere of Delta Halo to High Charity and then crashing the vessel into a tower, releasing Pelican dropships to rain down upon the capital.

The Flood's millennia of existence are believed to have made the assimilation process unusually brief: creatures killed in a short firefight can be reanimated within seconds to minutes by an infection form, and live creatures can be mutated into fully grown and mentally devious combat forms within minutes of contact. The mutations can occur randomly, or uniformly: according to the Halo Graphic Novel, they can sometimes develop into engorged combat forms notably larger than the normal combat form, or can alarmingly grow thick shells within minutes, indicating that the Flood can facilitate tremendous and exaggerated metabolic activity during the physiological mutilation. Furthermore, in rare cases, the mutations can constantly shift: when Rtas 'Vadumee battled his comrade-turned-combat form Kusovai aboard the Infinite Succor, Kusovai continued to mutate throughout the duration of the battle. Though never seen, it can be assumed infection forms were involved in infecting victims in this case. Before being killed to prevent his becoming a Flood, one of the Sangheilis accompanying Rtas 'Vadumee appears to have a wound in his chest that may have been the entry point for an infection form. Many of the Flood on the Succor seemed to constantly be mutating the infected biomass and also seemed to merge them together. This suggests the possibility that over time any infected host can mutate further and further, as exemplified by the Brain Form or the Gravemind and different versions of the Combat Form.

Tactics

Halo: Combat Evolved

It is best to use the MA5B Assault Rifle, Shotgun, or M6D Pistol against the Flood. The pistol is capable of killing a combat form with a single shot to the chest, but is generally not recommended for mass engagement, as its medium rate of fire and small magazine size can lead the player into a position where they are surrounded by Combat Forms, therefore, it is best to only apply it in long-range combat. The Plasma Rifle is also a good weapon of choice to use (if the assault rifle/shotgun are unavailable) as its high rate of fire can quickly destroy infection forms while still being potent enough to destroy the combat forms.

The Sniper Rifle is ineffective against the combat forms and will not kill them. The Shotgun on the other hand is the best choice against Flood Forms, as it usually finishes them off in 1 or 2 shots, especially Combat or Carrier Forms. On lower difficulties, Shotgun ammo is almost always available.

The Assault Rifle, an all-round effective weapon with large spread range, is superb against masses of combat forms and infection forms. Never bother to melee Combat Forms or Carrier Forms, as it is practically useless and very time consuming. For infection forms however, a single melee can take down four to five of them.

All in all, the most practical option is to have a shotgun for close-up/quick work, and a Pistol or Assault Rifle for longer range. The pistol is most useful for the level Two Betrayals, while the Assault Rifle/Plasma Rifle is preferred on The Library due to the levels cramped nature.

It is possible to shoot the arms off of Combat Forms (alive or dead). Dismembered Combat Forms pose no threat. This works well on the level Keyes

Halo 2

Dual wielding SMGs and other dual-wielding weapons has proven to be very effective, as well as the Sentinel Beam, Shotgun and Energy Sword. Plasma Pistols, however, are the least useful. Dual-wielding Plasma Rifles, and aiming at the arms of the Flood is more than enough to rip them apart easily. The arms will come off quickly and therefore leave the combat form, quite literally, unarmed. They will waddle about and explode after a few seconds. There is also a way of killing combat forms in one shot. On the chest, you can see the infection form's tentacles waving about. This is where the infection form has burrowed. Shoot the infection form, and unless the combat form is utilizing shields, the combat form will die. The SMG is also an excellent weapon against the Flood, as long as ammo is in large supply. Also effective is the BR55 Battle Rifle, as aiming for the Infection Form in the chest of a Combat Form will kill the Infection Form controlling it in a single burst. It is often a good idea to use the Brute Shot's melee, as it will have the same effect as an Energy sword on Combat Forms; it will destroy the body and prevent Infection Forms from reanimating it. For one of the best combos, use Dual SMGs for Combat and Infection Forms, and keep a Shotgun in reserve. A good strategy on The Oracle is to dual wield a pair of Needlers, you can usually do this without running out of ammo. Also, don't let the infection forms touch you if you have no shields; otherwise, they will kill you instantly.

Halo 3

The Incendiary Grenade instantly destroys all pure Flood forms and is the one true weakness of all pure Flood forms, as well as its Support Weapon counterpart the Flamethrower. Also, all forms can be instantly destroyed with a melee, with the exception of the Pure Forms, which cannot be revived anyway when killed. There is also a way of killing combat forms in one shot. On the chest, you can see the infection form's tentacles waving about. This is where the infection form has burrowed. Shoot the infection form, and unless the combat form is utilizing shields, the combat form will die. However, the corpse will be susceptible to infection by another infection form unless the body is in fragments.

Infection Forms

Either shoot them with an automatic weapon, such as the Assault Rifle or Plasma Rifle, or waste groups of them with explosive weapons, such as the Brute Shot, Frag Grenade, or the Incendiary Grenade. With their low health and attack, the only saving grace of these pathetic units is their vast quantity and their ability to instantly kill a player with their shields down.

Combat Forms

Human Combat Form/Brute Combat Form

The Human and Jiralhanae combat forms are, despite the anatomy of the unit, the same in terms of attack and damage. With a high resistance to automatic weapons, a prime choice against the two Flood forms would be the Battle Rifle, due to its high rate of headshots, the only weakness of the Flood form, or its Covenant counterpart, the Covenant Carbine. The Magnum pistol is also a good choice due to it's ability to knock them onto the ground. Make sure you bash it when it is on the ground or it can get re-infected. Using sticking grenades such as Plasma Grenades and Spike Grenades also dispose of these enemies quite quickly. In close-combat, the melee of most weapons, a single shot from the Mauler or the famous Energy Sword, Gravity Hammer, or Shotgun will kill them quickly. Despite this, they are famous for the ability to turn all weapons, from SMGs to Rocket Launchers, into deadly weapons, as well as their hard melees.

Elite Combat Form

The exact same as the Human and Brute forms, although the Sangheili combat form sometimes uses the energy shielding of its former host to its advantage. On higher difficulties, such as Heroic, the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle serve excellently in lowering their shields.

Pure Forms

Stalker Forms

The weakest of the forms, although ironically it has high resistance to all types of weapons, excluding the Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer, which kill most, if not all Pure Forms in one shot. They seldom fight, although their quick melees are not to be underestimated. It is suggested to kill them in these forms before they mutate.

Tank Forms

Argued to be the strongest of the Pure Forms, along with the Ranged Forms, the Tank Form has high resistance to all weapons from all parts of its body except for its mouth. An automatic weapon full burst to its mouth or an Energy Sword will easily dispose of the Tank Form. A Shotgun serves your needs just as well, although its melee is to be feared. Of course, Fuel Rod Guns and Rocket Launchers are pretty effective against them.

Ranged Forms

Also argued to be the strongest of the Pure Forms, as well as the most annoying enemy in the entire Halo franchise. They attack from long distances and in rapid, accurate bursts, making counter-sniping difficult. The Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle are viable weapons to exploit, but otherwise it is a recommended tactic to close-in on the Ranged Form and cause it to mutate. A warning to counter-snipers is that it will occasionally guard its vulnerable mouth when shot upon, making it resistant to all forms of weapons. Short bursts from the Assault rifle or plasma rifle, or a carbine are also effective.

Halo Wars
Flood in Halo Wars

Their tactics on Halo Wars are very similar to those they perform on the Halo Trilogy: they can obviously infect Humans, Sangheili, Jiralhanae and now even Jackals and Grunts with their Infection Forms, and usually attemp direct attacks with large groups. They possess large tentacle-like Flood forms and large pods that can pin in and attack vehicles, in the case of the Elephants they capture, which is an in-game objective to rescue in the first level where are encountered in-game. The Flood establish bases by capturing and spreading an infestation on enemy bases.

The Flood have been confirmed by Ensemble to have been made overpowering to both UNSC and Covenant forces to keep their appearance terrifying. Early in development, Ensemble considered making the Flood a playable race, but this idea never made it past the concept stage. According to lead designer Graeme Devine, the main issue was that in order to balance the Flood with the UNSC and Covenant, the Flood would have to have been similar to StarCraft's Zerg, which did not mesh with the Flood's role in the games, to be "the single scariest thing in the galaxy."

Several new Flood forms and recurring forms with new functions appear:

Infection Forms have the ability to crawl over walls, increasing their potent abilities, and are able to reach ground no other forces can reach. When a group reaches an enemy soldier, they will attack them, and slowly infect them, turning them into Combat Forms. Try to avoid using infantry when facing them, but fight them with vehicles.

Combat Forms are the standard fighting force of the Flood. Human, Sangheili, Jackal, Grunt and Brute forms have been seen. Hellbringers are the most effective unit to take them out.

Carrier Forms are a suicidal unit which explodes and delivers its payload of Infection Forms directly into enemy lines. Kill it when it's still far from your troops.

Thrasher Forms quickly close in on enemy ground units, using a devastating melee attack to deal significant damage. Contrast them with infantry.

Flood Growth Pods now function as a double-edged sword: shooting them will sometimes releases precious resources for weapon and vehicle upgrades. But other times, they will release a swarm of Infection Forms that can destroy your squads in seconds.

Air Forms

Flood Swarms are the first-ever-seen flying incarnation of the Flood, and were described by developers as "infected buzzards crossed with evil bats". These creatures travel in teeming airborne packs, and can emit barb-like projectiles to puncture enemies. Wolverines are most effective against them.

Bomber Forms drop Flood growth sacs full of infection forms on targets.

Building Forms

Flood Barracks are organic structures that ceaselessly churn out a variety of attackers. They can't be destroyed by "conventional" weaponry, but players can damage them enough to force them into a withered, dormant state. The effect is only temporary, and given enough time, the Barracks will recover and begin producing more Flood forms.

Trivia

The Flood Juggernaut was a Flood Form intended to be featured in Halo 2, and was found in the game's code, but was never featured in the full game, much like the Engineers in Halo: Combat Evolved. They can only be fought through modding and will freeze in place when killed, as they have no death animation.

Part of the Flood's Binomial nomenclature, Inferi, is Latin for "The Dead", and could be a reference to Roman mythology, as this was their name for the Netherworld and it's inhabitants. Inferi means 'The Dead' and Redivivus means 'renovated, reconstructed, rebuilt or recycled' so literally Inferi redivivus means 'The Dead Reconstructed'.

There is a species of fungi that is frighteningly similar to the Flood, the cordyceps unilateralis. They attack carpenter ants and take over their neural system in order to make the ants go to high places. By the time it gets there, it's been rotted from the inside out like a Flood host and it releases spores from that vantage point.

In a PC World article, the Flood was voted as #31 of the top 47 "most diabolical video game vilains of all time."

The Flood was inspired by Christopher Rowley's The Vang.

In Halo: The Flood, Master Chief was attacked by an infection form while his shields were low. The infection form had slit the under parts of his armour, exposing his neck, and almost tapped his spinal cord. If not for the quick use of an electrical shock to kill the form, Spartan 117 would have been assimilated like many before him.

The Flood are similar to Tyranids of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game and alien Xenomorph of the series of the same name.

The name "the Flood" is a biblical reference to the Great Flood in which God destroyed all life except for that which was carried by Noah's Ark.

Sgt. Avery Johnson was the first known human to survive a flood attack.